


Decision Switch

by KyaFalcone



Series: Decisions Universe [1]
Category: Arrow (TV 2012), Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, Felicity and Barbara are bffs, I like making people wait, Like with everyone involved with Felicity, Major slow burn all around, Multi, My twisted sense of humor finds an outlet, Protective!Vigilantes are the best vigilantes, sibling relationships - Felicity/Tim and Victor/Stephanie, slow updates too
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-03-13
Updated: 2016-05-03
Packaged: 2018-01-15 15:11:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 25
Words: 33,308
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1309375
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KyaFalcone/pseuds/KyaFalcone
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Head-hunted by two of the top companies in the country, Felicity Smoak makes a decision that will change everything about her future.  Gotham in exchange for Starling.  She sets herself on a path unknown.  Making new friends in a city far from home.  Will she help another hero instead of the Arrow?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Decision Made-Deal With It

**Author's Note:**

> So this is my first work on AO3. I thought about posting some of my stuff from Fanfiction.net, but I really hate a lot of the work I did there and thought it would be a good idea to start fresh. This is also my first Arrow fanfic. I read them often but this plot bunny wouldn't leave me alone.
> 
> A little background: in my version of the superhero world I picture Starling and Coast City in California in similar positions to San Diego and Los Angeles. Gotham is in the place of New York City. Metropolis, if ever mentioned, is the Chicago area.
> 
> I own nothing involving Batman or Arrow. I am writing for fun, not profit.

~~

“I know, Mom. It’s not Starling City. I know you wanted me to be close to home,” Felicity Smoak listened as her mother cried about “her baby being so far from home”.  “Mom, it’s better pay with less hours. My position is higher than I would have been at Queen Consolidated… I know Gotham’s on the other side of the country, but I want to be here… I will, Mom. I’ll call every week and let you know how I am… I can’t promise every day; I don’t know how long until I get settled… Sunday, I’ll call every Sunday… Yes I’ll call after church rush. I have the time difference programmed into my phone so don’t worry about that… Okay. Love you, mom… Bye.”  The blonde sighed and flopped onto her dorm bed.  The phone bounced next to her hand.

“So, how’d it go?” Felicity’s roommate Theresa called from the bathroom.  “She gonna have a melt down?”

“I hope not,” Felicity huffed.  Theresa stood in the doorway to the bathroom.  “Let us pray that my mother can handle me being away from home for the rest of my life.”

“Let us pray,” Theresa sighed and bowed her head.  Felicity tossed a pillow at her roommate and friend.  “Hey! I wasn't done praying! This is serious business, praying.”

The two girls held straight faces for a few seconds before bursting into giggles.  After calming down from their laughter, Felicity started moving about the room packing several of her things.  Theresa watched from the doorway, having already packed the bulk of her possessions.

“I’m jealous,” Theresa stated after several minutes of silence.

“Of what?” Felicity asked over her shoulder.

“You.”

Felicity put the dresses in her hands on the bed and turned to face her best friend.  “Why? You’re prettier, have much better fashion sense than me, can actually hold a normal conversation. I just ramble about anything and everything under the sun. Nothing really special about me. I’m just… me.”

Theresa smiled at her friend.  “Fashion can only do so much. You got head hunted. By two of the best companies in the country. And now you’re going to be working for one of them. Wayne Enterprises… It’s always been my dream to work there.”

Felicity looked at her friend carefully.  “You never told me that.”

Theresa shrugged.  “Never seemed to come up. Just promise me that you’ll put in a good word when I send in my resume in a few years, yeah?”

“Always.”

~~

“And this is your office,” the Head of the IT department for Wayne Enterprises said showing his newest employee to her office.  “It’s a little small, but there’s plenty of room to work with. Used to have this office myself when I was younger.”

“Thank you so much Mr. Fox,” Felicity smiled up at her new boss.  He was an older man around late forties with just a hint of gray hair around the temples.

“You have today to get settled into your new office. Not going to make you learn the ropes in one day. Barbara will help you learn everything tomorrow. She’ll probably be stopping by in an hour or so.”  Lucius Fox smiled down at the young blonde they had hired.  His light gray suit seemed to offset her bright pink blouse easily.  “If you have any questions just ask. Everyone starts somewhere so don’t be afraid of the big bad corporate world. We look out for each other here.”

Felicity beamed at her new boss.  “Thank you, sir. I will if I have any.”

“Good. Have a good day, Ms. Smoak. I except to see you smiling for your duration here at Wayne Enterprises,” the older gentleman winked before heading to his own office.

Felicity opened the door to her office and walked it.  It was a simple four walled room.  Three of the walls were painted in a warm terracotta color while the last wall, opposite the door, was full of windows.  A black L-shaped desk sat so she could face the door while working.  A small metal filing cabinet sat on wall to the left of the door with a chair to the right of the door in front of the desk.

“We can paint,” someone spoke up.

Felicity squealed and spun to see who had sneaked up on her.  In front of her was an alluring red haired woman.  Her blue eyes were hidden by a pair of glasses.  She was wearing a black blouse that had a small green design around the collar paired with dark green slacks.

“Sorry, didn't mean to frighten you. I’m Barbara Gordon. I’ll be training you, for the most part. Lucius might step in a few times but mostly you’ll be trained by me,” the red head smiled.

“Oh,” Felicity gasped, “It’s nice to meet you. I’m Felicity Smoak. Um, you said something about painting?”

Barbara laughed.  “Yeah, Bruce knows how bad the terracotta is down here. He gave the go ahead for anyone with an office to paint what they want. Most of it gets done on the weekends so we don’t have to worry about fumes.”

“Bruce? You mean Bruce Wayne? The guy we all work for? How did you manage to talk to him about paint? I mean it just seems so simple I wouldn't think he’d care,” Felicity rambled.  “Not that I think he doesn't care about his employees. I really wouldn't know since I just started working here. But I wouldn't think he’d care enough to talk to someone just so we can paint and I really need to stop talking. Three… Two… One.”

“Easy, Killer,” Barbara grinned helping Felicity to the office chair.  Barbara took the one in front of the desk.  “So, in what I think is the right order: Yes Bruce Wayne. I happened to be mentioning how much the color was getting to some of us while getting some coffee and he overheard me. We talked about it for a bit and next day we get the okay to paint our offices. Had to be on our own time though.”

“He just, made it happen?” Felicity gasped.

“Yeah. He’s a nice guy once you get to know him. Lucius knows him better than me though. Uh, yeah Bruce actually cares about his employees. He tries to make the office someplace we want to be. I’m sure Lucius showed you the food court.”  At Felicity’s nod, Barbara continued.  “Yeah, that’s something pretty new. Not a whole lot of time to get a good and nutritious meal in the forty-five minute break everyone gets. I think that was one of the boys up in Finances. Tim, I think.”

“Wow. I never thought a company would, you know, actually care,” Felicity sat.

“Oh, the board doesn’t care. But Bruce owns the company so his word is final. If he says his employees get to eat for free then we get to eat for free.”

“Free? I thought-“

“Nope, free. It’s technically taken out of the board members’ pay check. Since they fought against it, he took it out on them. Bruce gets about as much as a Department head. And I think that’s only double what I make.”

“I don’t think I even know what I’m making. They gave me a number but I forgot,” Felicity admitted.  Only thing she knew was that it was a bigger number than her other offers.

“Oh, wanna find out? Might make it a training thing,” Barbara teased.  “We’ll do that tomorrow though. Want any help getting settled? Or am I a bother?”

“No, no bother. I mean you didn't get upset when I rambled and that’s a nice thing. Most of the time people get annoyed and try to shut me up. But I don’t even know how to half the time, though my college roommate had several ways of stopping it-“

“Breathe, Killer,” Barbara spoke up.  “Don’t cut off air entirely; you need that. The rambling doesn't bother me. I do it from time to time while working. I forget not everyone knows what a raspberry pi is.”

The two women laughed before Barbara stood up to help Felicity get the few things she brought set up.  They made good conversation and any time Felicity rambled, Barbara would let her until either Felicity stopped herself or Barbara thought she needed air.  Barbara kept the nickname “Killer” for the blonde.  However Felicity went through several nicknames for her new friend before settling on one that fit.

“So how about we head to lunch? It’s getting that time and we don’t really want to set anything up if you plan on painting,” Barbara pointed out.

“That’s true. So how good is this food court, Shades?” Felicity asked.

“If I could, I’d live here.”


	2. Paint It... Which Color Again?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanna thank everyone who's given Kudos or Bookmarked this. It's made me feel really good since this story is actually the first thing in about a year I've really written. I've decided on a format for these chapters. First part is whatever decision got made, then what happens because of that decision.
> 
> As always I am not making this story for profit, merely fun.

Two weeks after beginning her job at Wayne Enterprises, Felicity Smoak had a grove.  Mondays and Wednesdays she woke up early enough to grab coffee and donuts for Barbara, Lucius, a few other people in IT, and herself.  (Barbara had Tuesdays and Thursdays for breakfast, always cinnamon rolls or breakfast burritos.  Lucius had Fridays and he would bring pancakes where everyone would get to work an hour early to enjoy them in the food court.)  If she didn’t have breakfast duty she would arrive at eight-thirty to start up her computers.

While they were top of the line computers, Felicity and Barbara were charged with making sure everything ran perfectly all day.  If there was a down server, they tried to know about it before work officially started.  Felicity started work (officially) at nine o’clock.  The first week was spent with Barbara showing her the ropes.  Every day of that week was spent in one of their offices; usually Felicity’s so she knew where everything was on her computer.  The next week was spent with Felicity following Barbara’s trail in the actual servers.  This was so Felicity knew the code Barbara used and to incorporate her own code into the server.  The only ones with the keys were Barbara, Felicity, Lucius, and Bruce Wayne.

So far on this Monday (scone day as Barbara calls it), Felicity was on her own.  Barbara was a phone call, or series of keystrokes, away, but Felicity had been able to handle everything the other company employees threw at her.  She knew she was starting slow.  Someone was directing the easy stuff to her office, but it made her feel good.

“So, first day on your own. How was it?” Barbara asked while they were in line for the Salad Bar in the food court.

“So far so good. I know I’m getting easy stuff, Shades, but I’m proud of what I’ve learned so far,” Felicity replied with a grin.

“Hey, you gotta start somewhere, Killer. Don’t want to overwhelm you from the get-go.”

Once the two women sat down for their meal, Felicity started up another conversation.  “So, I’ve been thinking about the paint thing. I know I need to get it done and since pay day is Tuesday, I figured I’d buy the paints then and do it this weekend. I was hoping you would join me. I mean, I don’t know if you have plans already or if that’s an okay thing to ask. I think we’re friends so I thought I’d ask you for help. But I don’t think we’re those kinds of friends who only talk at work or about work or the kind who only help each other when we need it. I think we’re good friend, ya know? Like on-the-way-to-be-best-friends type of friends. Or is that too forward? Should I not have mentioned,” Felicity trailed off as Barbara covered her hand.

“We’re friends, Felicity. I think the last type is what we are right now. I’ll help you with the painting. I tried to do it myself once and Lucius ended up calling in Bruce to fix it all,” Barbara laughed.  “What color did you go with? The light blue or the really dark, almost black, green?”

“The blue. But I’m going to paint a light grey stripe a little lower than half-way up. You know, make it look bigger,” Felicity explained moving her hands in what Barbara called “an intricate dance where words aren’t needed”.

"Sounds like a good idea. It might be a better one to have some help with the stripe. I don't know about you, but I'm bad with drawing, even straight lines."

All Felicity responded with was a stuck out tongue.

~~

“I’m telling you, we need to call in some back up,” Barbara huffed.

“I don’t wanna ruin anyone’s weekend plans. It’s too last minute and no one will come or they will and I’ll feel guilty ‘cause I’m the reason they couldn’t spend Saturday doing whatever they had planned. No back up. We can do this. We just have to,” Felicity stopped talking mid-sentence.

“What’s up?” Barbara asked looking over her shoulder to see the blonde looking out the door.  Standing up, the red head found someone leaning against the doorframe.

“Um, who are you?” Felicity asked.  “Not that I mean I don’t want you here. Whoever you are, you’re probably here because we’re loud. That did _not_ come out right.”

“Breathe, Killer. What do you need Tim?” Barbara asked the dark haired young man watching them.

“You told Bruce you’d meet us at one,” Tim informed her.  “It’s past one.”

“What? No, I just looked at the clock and-“

“It’s alright, Killer,” Barbara shushed.  “If Bruce wants me to join you guys so badly, tell him he needs to get his butt up here and help us finish. All we gotta do is the stripe.”

“Paint’s dry?” Tim raised an eyebrow.

“Quick-dry stuff. We started at the butt crack of dawn. Went for lunch. Came back to dry paint. We just need to get the stripe level and painted.”

“I’ll go get the boss then. We all know how well you do with stripes,” Tim grinned.  He ducked out of the doorway just in time for the paint streaked cloth Barbara threw to miss him.

“So… who was that? And is the Bruce coming to help the same Bruce I’m thinking it is? Cause I’m not good with meeting powerful people. I stuttered around Mr. Fox for the first week I was here, remember,” Felicity nearly screeched.

“That was Tim Drake. He works in Finance. I mentioned him before. Yes, he’s getting Bruce Wayne. Remember I said I had plans for after one? Yeah, Bruce is treating me and a few others to dinner. Well, first we’re going to be just hanging out at the Manor. You’ll be fine, Felicity. Bruce isn’t a bad guy. Yeah he’s got that playboy image from before his trip, but he’s changed. You’ll be fine.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey look, it's Tim!
> 
> So I actually love Dick Grayson since he was the first Robin I knew. However, Tim just works better for me since I want someone to be younger than Felicity. Might end up throwing Dick in this... someday.


	3. Should I Stay or Should I Go

“Hey, where’d the blonde go?” Tim asked as he and another dark haired male entered the small office.

While Tim still had a boyish look to him with his hair reaching his jawline and a little baby fat still clinging to his face, this other male was more mature.  His face was sharp where the fat still clung to Tim and his hair was long enough to touch his ear but barely.  Tim’s dark blue jeans and red button up shirt paled in comparison to the dark gray slacks and dark blue dress shirt of his companion.

“Her name is Felicity,” Barbara smacked Tim upside the head.  “Hey Bruce. Sorry I told you a bogus time,” Barbara apologized to the other male while Tim rubbed his head.

“It’s alright, Barbara. It happens. So where  _is_  this Felicity I keep hearing so much about?” Bruce Wayne asks with a grin.

“Oh, she’s in the bathroom. Can’t blame her; if I found out I’d meet the big boss two weeks in I’d run too. She said she’d be out in a minute.”

“Well that sucks. I wanted to see what Bruce thought of her babbles; stuff of legends already,” Tim grinned.

Barbara huffed.  “Grab the tape and help me make a straight line. And stop listening to office gossip; it’s degrading.”

“Hey, Steph told me, not the water cooler.”

“And that’s  _so_  much better.”

“At least I can draw a straight line.”

“If you call that straight, we’re gonna be here all night,” the red head teased.

She walked over to where Tim was kneeling on the ground at one corner of the room.  Taking the tape from him she started to try making her own line with the tape.  Tim huffed after her first few attempts and tried to take the tape back.

“Barbara,” Bruce called out after watching them for a little while, “I’m going to go let Alfred know we’re going to be late.”

“Alright, we shouldn’t be too much longer. At least not if Tim gets it right,” the red head threw back at him from over her shoulder.

“Go let Felicity know she can come out of the bathroom,” Tim teased after several more failed attempts at creating the line.  “I doubt he’ll come back without letting us know.”

“He probably wouldn’t _now_ ,” Barbara agreed.  She got to her feet from her own kneeling position, clinging to the still open ladder to help herself up.

“Hey Barb,” Tim called as she got to the doorway.

“Yeah?”

“You really think Bruce scares her that much?”

“I think Felicity is like a fish in some aspects.”

“What?” Tim asked sharply turning to face his older friend.

“When you buy a fish, you don’t just drop them in the new water; you let them get used to it. Then you slowly pour the old water into the new tank,” Barbara explained.  “In other words, Felicity’s not used to us. She’s used to the uncaring bosses of most work places. She thinks that he’ll think poorly of her because she babbles and makes unintentional innuendos.”

Tim chuckled a little before continuing the conversation.  “So it’s like how you can’t do certain quests until you have a certain level?”

Barbara laughed.  “Yeah, I suppose. We gotta help her level up.”

“Oh.”  Tim looked down at the roll of painters tape he was shifting between his hands. "How do you know this?"

"It's what I went through when I started spending time with you guys. I didn't feel comfortable around Bruce until after you and Stephanie spoke so much about him I had to meet the man."

“So," Tim looked up as if in thought, "you think it’ll take as long for her as it did you?”

“It's not an exact science. It's human behavior. Everyone's different. However, the more time we spend with her, the faster she’ll get used to us. If she’s put in a situation where she can’t hide, I hope one of us is there to help her.  _Lucius_  still makes her stutter on occasion.”  Barbara took a moment to think before she continued.  “This is the end of her third week. She’s scared she’ll mess up and lose her job. While I doubt Bruce or Lucius would fire her for rambling or whatever,” Barbara threw her hand up into the air, “she thinks will happen, it doesn't mean it hasn't happened before. Why do you care so much?”

Tim shrugged.  “She seems nice. You talk about her all the time. I wanna get to know her. Bruce probably does too.”

“We can’t get too close, Timmy. She’s smart. She’ll figure us out in no time flat.”

“Maybe it wouldn't be a bad thing. We wouldn't have to actually tell her.”

“Let Bruce decide that. He’s the big boss.”

~~

“Back so soon, Master Bruce?” the elder gentleman holding the Bentley car door open asked.

“They didn't need my help after all,” Bruce replied as he slid into the car.  “I’m going to let the others know we’ll be a little late to the manor. Hopefully Stephanie and Victor don’t have to wait too long.”

“Is the office not finished,” Alfred questioned as Bruce pulled out his phone.

“They’re working on a stripe. Straight lines and Barbara never mix. You know that Alfred.”

Bruce finished finding the correct number and hit dial.  Before it could be picked up he set it to be on speaker.  After two and a half rings someone picked up.

“Hey Bruce. What’s up?” a female voice filtered through the speaker.

“We’re going to be a little late, Stephanie,” Bruce replied.

“Clip a wing?” a male voice, Victor, teases from the other end of the call.

“No, Barbara isn't done helping her friend. We should be headed there in a little while.”

“What kept them?” Stephanie asked.

“I believe it was straight lines,” Alfred supplies.  Laughter from both Victor and Stephanie fills the car from the tiny phone speakers.

“Only Barb. Only Barb,” Stephanie laughs.  “ETA?”

“Not sure. Should be there within the hour,” Bruce tells them.  “If it’s longer, I’ll let you know.”

“Okay. See you lot when you get here,” Victor’s grin can be heard through the phone.

“Don’t destroy my house.”

“Pff, you don’t have a house,” Stephanie scoffed.  “A quarter of this place isn’t a house.”

“A single wing wouldn't be small enough to be a house,” Victor chuckled.

“Enough you two. We’ll see you soon,” Bruce stated before ending the call.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know a lot of you wanted her and Bruce to meet in this chapter, but I had already planned this out so that they'd miss each other. I hope a lot of you realize that since Felicity is fresh out of college she's more likely to be scared of meeting the important people of her work.
> 
> Barbara's speech to Tim is something I'm both proud of and apprehensive of.
> 
> Cookies to those who can figure out who Victor and Stephanie are!


	4. Talks through Tech

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Early post since I posted late last week! ^_^
> 
> Thanks to everyone for playing my silly little game of "Who is Victor?" The answer is available in this chapter.
> 
> I've created a calendar so that you all know the dates for this. I've yet to find a good way to introduce the date in a chapter, so I'm going to put in the calendar encase it never happens. You have to scroll to June 2009 to see the beginning. The dates go by chapter. If I find other important dates, they'll go in too.
> 
> https://www.google.com/calendar/embed?src=bls5c7gik0rs0ulq2caqbcqf1g%40group.calendar.google.com&ctz=America/Chicago

“So how was work?” the tall dark haired teen asked into the hidden communication link on his sunglasses.  He switched from the normal night vision to heat signature while he waited for the response.

“ _Who me? Or are you talking to BG?_ ” Barbara Gordon’s voice asked through the connection all the night time hunters had.

“You, Oracle. How was work?”

“ _It was fine, Birdy. Same old; same old. Felicity made a guy at the salad bar spit his drink out for an offhanded comment about scissors._ ”

“He shouldn’t have been drinking while walking,” another female voice called from beside Robin.  “That’s a dangerous thing to do with people around you.”

“ _Totally agree, BG. Bats, you’ve got two about to walk underneath you_ ,” Barbara stated.

Robin turned his eyes to see where the oldest of the three was positioned hiding on a rooftop.  He and Batgirl wouldn’t interfere, but they liked knowing if he was in any danger.  After watching the two guards walk under his mentor, Robin turned back to the conversation at hand.

“So, Felicity is doing good?” he asked.

“ _Speak plainly, Birdy. Yes, my little innuendo spewing blonde is doing good._ ”

“Do you think we could have her over for the Fourth of July party?” Robin asked.  He shifted his weight to keep his legs from falling asleep.  A few of the chains on his black pants clinked together as he moved.

“ _Keep quiet_ ,” Batman’s gruff voice commanded over the comms.

“He just shifted his weight. Not our fault you can hear everything within a hundred mile radius,” Batgirl huffed.

“ _She got invited to a party some of the office peeps are throwing. It’s only a barbecue at the park for some families, but Jessica invited her. So, I don’t think she’ll be able to even if I asked._ ”  A few clicks could be heard over the comm. link before she spoke again.  “ _There’s a few patrols coming your way, radio silence._ ”

Batgirl and Robin froze stiff as they listened to the scuffs of boots falling on the uneven asphalt below their perch on the overhanging ledge of a warehouse.  Batgirl’s purple and black skirt swayed a little in the wind and Robin’s chains jingling in the same wind causing both teens to tense at the rustle of fabric and metal.

“ _They’re gone. You can breathe now_ ,” Barbara called over the comms.

“Thanks for the heads up, Oracle,” Batgirl sighed.  “I’m just happy they didn’t hear our clothes.”

“ _Too much metal and loose fabric around them for it to really matter. I wouldn’t have put you two up there if there was even a small chance Birdy’s punk chains would give you away_ ,” Barbara coaxed.  “ _Also why I told you no belt today. That gold would’ve given you away on the spot_.”

“Still, thanks.”

“So, no Fourth of July with Felicity. When’s the next holiday?” Robin asked.

“What is it with you and Felicity Smoak?” Batgirl asked.  The leather clad teen pinched Robin’s arm.  “I’m starting to get jealous over here.”

“She’s cool. And I like her babbles. She’s… different,” Robin answered.  “Don’t worry, Babe. I don’t find anyone else attractive except you.”

“You better,” Batgirl growls softly.

“ _Anyway, the next holiday is Halloween. Next group gathering is planned for end of July_ ,” Barbara’s voice filtered through the comm. links.

“Victor’s coming back into town?” Batgirl asked excitement showing through her voice.

“ _I think he should be in town around the end of next week or so. Told me he planned on staying off the grid for a little while. Question is getting some major heat in Metropolis_.”

“He okay?” Batgirl asked.

“ _Yeah, he just thinks he should take a break. He told me he’d be here as soon as his latest job is done. Whenever that is, it’s when he’ll be here_.”

“So, you think Felicity will go to the thing in July?” Robin asked.

“ _That’s up to her. I won’t make her but I think she might enjoy the experience. I’ll ask her closer to the date_.”

“Promise, Oracle. Promise.”

“ _I promise, Birdy. I’ll ask her_.”

“ _Focus_ ,” Batman growled.

“ _Guess that’s it for social hour, boys and girls. ETA on the truck is five minutes_ ,” Barbara continued to rattle off the information for the bust they were on.

Robin and Batgirl focused on the information given to them.  Robin filed most of it for later, his mind working fast enough to plan possible outcomes of the approaching fight.  Batgirl pulls out two of her throwing knives.  Across from them, Batman lowered his body down in preparation for the jump down the building.

~~

Stephanie Brown flopped down on her bed long after the conversation between her boyfriend and best friend took place.  She flipped her blonde hair over her shoulder and reached under her pillow for her cell phone.  Lazily scrolling through her contacts she checked the time before clicking on the person she planned on calling.

Placing the phone on speaker, she dropped it on her comforter while she went around her room for her school things.  After three rings, the call clicked over to voicemail.  Sighing, Stephanie picked up to phone to leave her message.

“Hey, Vic, it’s Stephanie. No one’s hurt so don’t freak out. Barb said you were planning on coming back to Gotham so I figured I’d call and let you know what’s up. Be warned I kind of want to rant a little about Tim. Some of the stuff that was said tonight pissed me off. If you want to hear it, you’d better call in twenty-four hours. See ya, Vic,” Stephanie spoke clearly before hanging up the call.

Huffing loudly, the blonde went over to her desk, where she had piled her homework.  Opening one of the school books, she started denting the stack of papers due.

The next day Stephanie was just moving to the gymnasium for her study hall period when her phone started vibrating in her pocket.  One of her school friends grabbed her books to let her answer the unexpected call.

“’Ello?” Stephanie asked into the phone.

“ _Greetings my Princess_ ,” Victor’s voice filtered through.

“Vic! Hey, how are you?” Stephanie grinned as she grabbed her things from her friend.  Waving them ahead she turned her full attention to her friend.

“ _Not much. I just got back to my hotel room so I just got your message. Everything okay_?”

“I guess. Tim asked Barb about her friend Felicity last night. It’s like every time he sees her, it’s all about Felicity. I just feel,” Stephanie paused as she leaned against the gym wall.  “Jealous, I feel jealous of her.”

“ _Oh, sweetheart, I think you’re getting a taste of your own medicine. I think Tim doesn’t know that he’s doing it though, so don’t be upset with him_.”

“My own medicine?” Stephanie inquired.

“ _Princess, how often do you ask about me when any of the others mention talking to me_?”

Stephanie thought about Victor’s question.  She knew she asked about her friend a lot when any one of the others mentioned him.  She had done it last night too.

“I guess I do ask about you a lot. Why? How is that like Tim with Felicity? Everyone knows I think of you like a brother.”

Stephanie knew she and Victor had a limited time to talk so she wanted to talk about other things.  He rarely called her when he was on a case, but her message probably made him worry about her relationship with Tim.  It wouldn’t be the first time she started to question things when she couldn’t talk to Barbara or Victor.

“ _I think Tim might see Felicity as someone like family. I don’t know for sure; I’d have to see them interact and meet her myself to know for sure_ ,” Victor paused for a long few seconds before continuing.  “ _I plan on coming into town in a few days, end of the week at most. I’m going to be at the get together. Wait until I get there. Then we can talk at length. I promise_.”

“Okay. Stay safe, Vic. I don’t want to have to come save your… butt,” Stephanie changed her words at last second when she saw one of the teachers walk towards her.  “See you soon.”

“ _Light a candle for me, Princess_.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I realized I hadn't planned on showing the night time activities of the Bat family until later but this fit pretty well into my plot. Plot is something sacred to me. I rarely get far in one, but this story is coming pretty easy for me.
> 
> Victor's identity is known! I always loved Question in the Justice League and I felt I could place him here. He's also going to be a bit of comic relief. I'm not going canon for his personality for reasons that will be found out later.


	5. A Teasing Question

Breathing in the rich smell of coffee as she walked into the café, Felicity realized how tired she was after the six weeks at Wayne Enterprises.  The first four weeks were devoted to getting her used to the systems the employees used to function throughout the day.  The last two weeks Felicity had woven her own codes into the servers.  The extra codes made it that much harder for the servers to be hacked.

Greeting the barista, Felicity ordered her usual iced vanilla frap.  Paying two dollars extra for a tip, the blonde moved to an empty spot on the couch.  She was a common enough customer that the regular cashiers knew who she was.

“Hello there,” a smooth male voice called from behind her.

Turning around Felicity spotted a strawberry blond man standing behind the couch.  “Oh, hello,” she greeted with a toothy smile.

“Mind if I sit with you?” the male asked.

“Sure! I mean I don’t own the couch. It’s not really _my_ couch. I sit here a lot but I don’t own it. I’m sure someone does or they at least _think_ they do and I will stop in three… two… one…”

“Breathe, sweet thing,” the blond man teased.

“You’re not related to Barbara Gordon are you?” Felicity raised as eyebrow as she asked.

The man laughed as he sat down next to her.  “No, but she and I are friends. Why? You know her?”

“Well, she said almost the same thing to me… except she called me “killer.” Still not sure about that one.”

“Ah, one of her many nicknames. Her mind works in a way that she uses nicknames to remember people after first meeting them. She’s tried to stop but it _is_ habit now. I’m Victor by the way. Victor Sage.”

“Oh! I’m Felicity Smoak,” she replied as she shook his hand.  “You don’t work for Wayne Enterprises do you?”

Another booming laugh left Victor.  “No, I don’t. I’m a journalist. Most of my stories are out of town nowadays though. I don’t think I could handle working for Bruce-y Boy.”

“Oh.”

“Whoa now, Hun. I don’t mean that he’s a bad boss. He worked hard after he came back to make the company something his parents would be proud of. I think Alfred and Lucius helped the most, but Barbara and Tim helped quite a bit too. Another of Bruce’s kids,” Victor raised his hands in air quotes as he said ‘kids’, “helped a lot before he left too.”

“So, you like your job then?”

“Oh, yeah. I travel a lot and I liked that when I started the gig. Now, well, I have a group of people I feel close to here in Gotham that I wish I got to see more often,” Victor smiled wistfully.

One of the serving baristas stopped by the drop off Felicity’s frap and a steaming mug and cheesecake for Victor.  Victor thanked the woman before turning back to his company.

“Would you mind moving to a table with me? If you want to continue talking that is,” he asked as he stood up.

“I’d love to join you. It’s not like I have anything going on. Not that I wouldn’t like to spend time with you on a regular basis, though not in a romantic sense. I mean, I might see you like that I just don’t know you that well and-“

“Breathe, sweet thing, breathe. Let’s go get a table before they all fill up,” Victor smiled softly.

“Sorry, I seem to word vomit a lot lately,” Felicity apologized as they sat at a small round table in one of the corners.

“No problem. We all have our quirks. I ask a lot of questions, or at least that’s what Barb and Steph say. Barb makes strange nicknames for people; she called me “Shortcake” for the longest time. Lucius has a “I don’t see it happening then it isn’t happening” policy that he really can’t keep. You babble. Quirks.”

Felicity stared at the man across from her for a moment.  “You know, I’ve met more people who can handle my babbles. You, Barbara, Mr. Fox.”

“Is this a good thing or a bad thing?”

“Depends,” Felicity replied before taking a sip of her drink.

Victor took a bite of his cheesecake before raising his eyebrow in question.

“Well, if I want to eventually go to Starling to be near my mom, bad. If I want to be accepted for who I am, good.”

“And which is it?”

“I… don’t know yet. I’m still getting used to the whole experience. Theresa, my friend from college, took several weeks to get used to me. I didn’t really have “friends” in high school. You guys are all throwing me for a loop.”

“Well, I’m happy we’re keeping you on your toes. How long have you been in our city?”

“Um, almost six weeks. This was my sixth week of work so.”

“Well, I know you know Barbara and probably Lucius since those two come hand-in-hand. Who else do you know?”

“Like people wise? I know a lot of people. I know that the barista who gave us our drinks is named Katie and the woman with the office next to me is Jessica. I know a teen in Finance named Tim. I know that the guy running the food court is Jeremy. Tessa, Lauran, and Hellen work at the front desk. Anyone specific?”

“Tim? Tim Drake?”

“Mm, I think that’s his last name. I haven’t really asked. He seems young, but so am I. He’s nice and acts like a little kid sometimes. I’m kind of starting to see him like the annoying little brother I’ve always wanted. He’s always trying to get me to go out with him, Barbara, and Mr. Wayne. It’s getting kind of sad.”

Victor laughed again.  “That’s Tim for you. Once he finds a friend he tries to make them spend as much time as possible with all of his friends. He has a strong sense of family that includes his friends. Can’t blame the kid with what he’s been through.”  Victor paused as he lifted the mug to his mouth.  “Wait, did you just call him Mr. Wayne?”

“Well yeah. Is that bad?” Felicity asked as Victor started laughing much louder than before.  Several other patrons looked over that their table to see what was going on.  Felicity’s face lit up bright red with her blush.

~~

“Hey Batty Boy,” a tall, seemingly faceless man greeted as he walked out of the shadows of the alley.

“Question,” Batman growled out in greeting the tension in his muscles pulling on the Kevlar armor.

“Oh, don’t be like that,” Question teased.  “I heard the most amusing thing today. Want to know what?”

“Play your games elsewhere.”

“But you’re so much more fun.”  Question paused as he received the “Bat Glare”.  “Oh, fine, I’ll be serious. Killer Moth is about to raid Gotham General, not sure why. Want to go have some fun?”

Batman glanced away from the man in a blue trench coat.  After a few seconds, where Question was sure Oracle was confirming his report, Batman turned towards the direction of the hospital.

“Let’s have some fun, Mr. Wayne,” Question teased, ducking a blow to the head as he laughed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I'm posting this early due to my weekend plans taking up the entire weekend. This is the fifth chapter and sometimes I wonder how I'm able to keep writing this when no other (unpublished) works don't. . . And then the next Arrow episode airs and I remember.
> 
> So while I have a few arcs planned for this story, I do have a little over three years(in story) to decide if Felicity will be going to Starling to stay as the resident Arrow Support. I plan on it being a long time coming, but I do want to know what you guys think. Granted, I make no promises one way or another until thus time to post the decision.


	6. Not Legally Blonde

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry it's late! Life hit hard and I haven't had a lot of time to write until now. And I don't know if I'll be able to post this weekend. I will try though. I'm off kilter and will try to get back on track.
> 
> On another note, I've decided to write down dates for the chapters. It's sort of a timeline so everyone can see where we are in the Arrow world.
> 
> Bruce Wayne leaves Gotham - February 2002  
> Felicity starts College - August 2005  
> The Bat (Batman) Appears - July 2007  
> The Question Appears - August 2007  
> The Bird (Robin) Appears - September 2007  
> Queen's Gambit sinks - October 2007  
> Mentions of Another Member of "The Bat Family" (Oracle) - January 2008  
> Batgirl (Brown) appears - November 2008  
> Chapter 1 - June 1st 2009  
> Chapters 2&3 - June 20th 2009  
> Chapter 4 - July 1st 2009  
> Chapter 5 - July 10th 2009  
> Chapter 6 - July 14th 2009
> 
> Ages are as follows:  
> Felicity Smoak (October 13, 1988) - 20  
> Barbara Gordon (April 18, 1985) - 24  
> Tim Drake (July 19, 1990) - 18 (19 after this chapter)  
> Bruce Wayne (February 19, 1981) - 28  
> Alfred Pennyworth (March 5, 1943) - 66  
> Lucius Fox (April 2, 1958) - 51  
> Stephanie Brown (August 11, 1991) - 17  
> Victor Sage (December 18, 1984) - 24

Felicity huffed as she carried a large stack of papers some low official's secretary handed her.  Even after six weeks working at Wayne Enterprise some people still thought she was just an intern or  _something_  that made them think to hand her stacks of papers.

“Another stack?” Tim’s voice called from in front of her.

“Yup,” Felicity replied.  “Mind helping?”

“Where to?”

“Barb,” she laughed.  “I was headed there anyway.”

Tim laughed and took half of the papers.  The two chatted about their weekend plans as they moved around the cubicle area of the IT floor.  Tim was spending time with his girlfriend for his birthday, which would have an office party to celebrate on Friday, and Felicity was working.

“Why were you on this level?” Felicity asked.  Usually she only saw Tim when she was at lunch or in the elevator; it was rare to see him on IT randomly.

“Boss wants to know if the server is gonna need any money,” Tim shrugged.

“So headed the same place I am. Cool.”

“How often does this happen?” Tim asked as they reached Barbara’s door.

“Often enough for them to keep the doors slightly open,” Felicity replied as she bumped the purple-painted door open.

“Hey,” Barbara called from the second room of her office.  While the first room was an actual office, a door hidden behind a few curtains contained the actual server hardware.

“I bring unto you papers,” Felicity called back.  “And Tim,” she added as an afterthought.

“Tim?” Barbara called questioningly.  The red head poked her head out of the door to see the eighteen year old dropping his stack of papers on the almost clean desk.

“Boss has a question about money,” the dark haired teen shrugged.

“What kind of question?” she asked walking into her actual office.

“You need money for the servers?”

“Hmm,” Barbara thought for a moment.  “I think we might need a little. Let me call Lucius to be sure though.”

“Want me to call him?” Felicity asked as she took a seat in the office chair.

“Would you? I need to finish in the back real fast.”

“Sure,” Felicity smiled before picking up the phone.

“So why do people keep giving you papers?” Tim asked.  “It’s like it happens every other day.”

“I look like an intern, I think,” Felicity replied.  “Hey Tanya, could you send Lucius down to Barbara’s office… Tim’s here and has a few questions for the two of them… Barbara is doing some hardware upgrades… Okay, thanks.”

“I think it’s ‘cause you’re blonde,” Barbara called.

“What?” Felicity shot back.

“Why people hand you papers. Most people don’t think of blonde’s as smart,” Barbara explained as she walked into the office.  She snatched a rag off of her cabinet to wipe her hands.

“It’s not natural,” Felicity shrugged.  “My roots should start coming in soon.”

“Not natural?” Tim asked.  “Why dye it in the first place?”

“My roommate dared me to for my first day of work. I just haven’t had the time to do anything with it.”

“So, it’s the first dye job?” Barbara asked.

“I think I heard you wrong,” Lucius’s voice spoke up from the door way.

“Dye. D-y-e. Dye job,” Barbara rolled her eyes.

“Better. You have some questions for me, Tim?” Lucius asked.

“Yeah. Do you guys need money for the servers?” Tim asked.

Felicity ignored the two males to look at Barbara.  “To answer your question, yes. It’s the first time I dyed my hair. Why?”

“Well, we can go get it out after work. They can do that now, you know.”

“So I can go back to being brunette? Sweet. I thought I’d have to keep dying it.”

“I’m not going to let people keep thinking you’re a secretary or whatever,” Barbara huffed.

“Want Bruce’s card? He gave me access,” Tim butt in.

“Seriously? Yes! We are getting makeovers and a spa night. Wait. Lucius do we have to come to work tomorrow?” Barbara asked.

“I think I’m rubbing off on you,” Felicity laughed.

“Good. It might be mutual.”

“I don’t think I need you two here,” Lucius replied.  “Check with Bruce before you go though.”

“I don’t think that’s the point, Fox,” Tim laughed.

Barbara nodded.  “He can deal with us leaving. The server update is going to be done this weekend so we can’t really do anything about the issues everyone is having until we shut them down.”

Felicity nodded.  “A hard shut down would cause the servers to be down all of the next day. That’s why we’re doing it Saturday morning. No one will need them until Monday so we can use Sunday to make sure all of the issues are fixed.”

“Alright. Well, I’d say we’ll need a couple hundred a month,” Lucius turned to Tim.  “Twelve hundred for the rest of the year to be safe.”

“Got it. I'll go tell the Boss,” Tim grinned.

“So, spa day?” Felicity asked.

“Salon after work and spa tomorrow,” Barbara confirmed.

~~

“Are you sure they can fit me in?” Felicity asked as Barbara dragged her to David Groshen Salon.

“We’re on Bruce Wayne’s tab, so yes, they can,” Barbara replied.  She turned her head to see the unsettled look on Felicity’s face.  “Hey, he knows we’re going. I do this from time to time. When he wants our little group to go to galas and stuff he lets me take his card and go do whatever. Since I haven’t been able to spend money lately, he said I could do whatever this week.”

“But he doesn’t know me,” Felicity insisted.  “He might not want to spend money on someone he doesn’t know. I mean, he seems like a nice guy, but I’m just some new girl and I know I’m friends with you and Tim but he-”

“Felicity,” Barbara stopped walking to grab the younger girl’s upper arms, “he knows about you. He knows why I think we should do this. He agrees. I’m not the only one getting annoyed that people keep thinking you’re not as smart as you are. Bruce has been trying to find a way to help without stepping in. He doesn’t like to look like he has favorites. It’s a known fact I go out on his dime. You’re a known friend of mine. This is fine and Bruce is cool with it. He even set up the spa appointment for tomorrow. Breathe and let me spoil you with Bruce’s money.”

Felicity tried to pout but the slight upturn of her lips let Barbara know that everything would be okay.  Grinning at her friend, Barbara started towards the salon again.

“So, I’m going back to brunette?”

“Hell yeah. I wanna see my girl in all her natural glory,” Barbara cheered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> David Groshen is an actual salon in New York City. It's a very high end place and since Gotham is New York in this verse, New York businesses.


	7. Unpacking Binge

“So what are your plans for the weekend?” Barbara asked as she and Felicity walked out of the elevator on the first floor.

“Well, I had planned on using this weekend to unpack,” Felicity answered as she held open the door.  “I finally received the last of the boxes my mom sent to me, including the one with the new TV she bought for my graduation.”

“You haven’t finished that?” Barbara laughed.

“Nope,” Felicity laughed with her friend.  “I’ve actually only unpacked the few things I’ve needed. Most of my clothes are in boxes still.”

“Seriously?” Barbara laughed.  “Well, I hope you have fun with that. I think I’ll just be surfing the web, at least for tonight. Might clean tomorrow.”

“Well, have fun.”

“You too. I’ll text you later to see how you’re doing,” Barbara called.

Felicity waved as she watched the red haired woman hop into the town car waiting at the curb.  The other woman waved shortly before the older gentleman closed the door.

“Good evening, Miss Felicity,” he greeted.

“Good evening, Alfred. I hope you have a good weekend,” Felicity smiled.

“And you as well, Miss Felicity.”

Felicity grinned as she started walking to her apartment.  She knew it was sad that she hadn’t unpacked yet.  She had just been busy since she arrived in Gotham.  It took her two weeks just to find the apartment, though she didn’t think anyone at work knew about that.  Her things hadn’t arrived for another week and then she was spending so much time working and seeing the city she never got around to it.

While a lot of people considered Gotham full of crime, Felicity saw another side of the city.  She didn’t deny that there was a high crime rate, but there were good things about Gotham too.  It was the first place more than one person accepted her for all her quirks.  Now she had a whole group!

Felicity grinned as she arrived at her apartment building.  It wasn’t a big building and it was a little more than she wanted to spend, but she liked how close it was to Wayne Enterprises.  Sliding her key into her door, Felicity took a deep breath before entering the box filled space that was her apartment.

Her purse was set on the kitchen counter on the way to her room.  The young woman changed out of her work clothes and into a pair of shorts and a tank top before starting the music from a stereo in the kitchen.  Grabbing a box labeled “ _Pans and other kitchen things_ ” Felicity started the long task of unpacking.

~~

After several hours scattered throughout the weekend, Felicity was finally done getting her apartment to a de-boxed state.  All of the boxes she had used for the move and that were sent over by her mom were flattened and leaning up against the small bar area by the front door.  She decided to take them down on trash day.

Flopping down on the couch in her TARDIS covered pajamas, the recently turned brunette turned on the television for some binge watching.  The first channel to pop up, however, distracted her from her binge.

“ _We’re bringing you footage of last night’s sighting of The Bat_ ,” the new anchor announced before several images of shadowy figures appeared on the screen.

“The Bat?” Felicity muttered.  “Isn’t that the crime fighter guy?”

Grabbing her laptop from the coffee table, the young twenty-one year old started to search for information on the new topic.

“Huh, been around since 2007; has taken down three major crime organizations since appearance; believed to be working with police officers in handling corrupt cops; been seen with several other crime fighters like the Question, the Bird, and a “female crime fight”,” Felicity listed after several minutes of research.  “Wow, they can’t even make up a name for the girl in the group. So I guess this is a thing in Gotham… Nice to know I guess.”

After setting her laptop back on the coffee table, she shrugged and began her binge night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is a little late. I worked all weekend and didn't have a chance to post until now. I would like to let everyone know that I have decided (pun intended) if Felicity will go to Starling or not. It's a few years away for the little IT genius but I know what will happen to her.
> 
> I am also looking for a Beta reader. As this is my first story on AO3 I'm not sure how to go about finding one. Help would be greatly appreciated.


	8. Cafe Dates

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since I didn't realize how short the last chapter was before I posted it, I'm posting a second one! Gasp!
> 
> Enjoy the Stephanie Brown screen time!

Tim looked around the small coffee shop he and Stephanie were in.  It was open mic night and Steph had somehow convinced him to listen to a few of the over-the-top poems people were saying aloud.

“Hey,” his girlfriend tugged on his sleeve.  “Want to go through the park? I’m getting kinda bored here.”

“Sure,” he grinned as he helped her off the couch they were seated on.  He placed his hand on her back as they left the small establishment.

“So how’s summer school been?” he asked.

“It’s been okay. A lot of the teachers are understanding about my _injuries_ ,” the small blonde sneered, “and they think I should be able to graduate by the end of the summer.”

“That’s good right? Then you can finally apply to college,” Tim grinned.

“Yeah, but I still don’t know where I want to go.”

“Well maybe,” Tim paused as a flash of something caught his eye.  Stephanie stopped with him and tried to pinpoint where his gaze was.  “Felicity?” Tim called, questioning his eyesight.

Stephanie watched as a curly brunette with a light blue button up and khaki slacks stopped walking to look around.  Tim raised his hand in greeting to let the older female know where the voice came from.  The blonde reined in her glare as _Felicity_ walked over to the two teens.  The two females were different even by their styles, Stephanie thought as she looked down at her black skinny jeans and purple tank top.

“Tim! Hi! How’re you?” the perky brunette asked.

“I’m good. Felicity, this is my girlfriend Stephanie. Steph, this is Felicity Smoak,” the dark haired teen introduced.

“Oh! It’s so nice to meet you! Tim’s told me a lot about you. It’s like he’s always gushing about you. It’s really sweet how,” Felicity kept babbled.

Stephanie knew the older woman was still talking but her mind wasn’t focused on the words.  The blonde suddenly felt horrible.  She had spent near a month being jealous of brunette because of how often she heard about her from Tim.  Now when she meets the person Tim idolized as much as Bruce, the only first thing the person says is how much her boyfriend talks about _her_ , Stephanie.

“Oh! I’m so sorry. You two are on a date. Tim! Don’t call out to people when you should be spending time with your girlfriend,” Felicity chastised.

“Sorry,” Tim looked down at his feet.

“Oh, you and I are going to be good friends,” Stephanie grinned at the brunette.  As the brunette blinked in shock, the blonde hugged the older woman.  “Would you like to join us? We were thinking of getting some food.”

Stephanie wasn’t sure if it was okay to ask the brunette to join them.  She wasn’t sure if Tim would be okay with it.  Her fears eased when her boyfriend squeezed her hand with a grin on his face.

“I’d like to. If we’re going to be good friends and all,” the older woman answered.

~~

“So what did you think?” Victor asked as he sat down with their drinks at one of the small tables in the café.

“She’s nice. Wasn’t what I expected,” Stephanie replied.

“And your jealousy?” the strawberry blond man asked.

“Nonexistent. You were right. Big sister/little brother relationship.”

“You should listen to me more often,” Vic smirked.

“Oh shut up,” the blonde grinned.  After a few moments of quiet sips, she spoke up again.  “She’s really smart.”

“Yeah,” her brother figure replied slowly.

“I think she might figure us out,” she shrugged.  “Even if we’re careful.”

“Probably. Though I kind of want to see how long it takes her.”

“I’m thinking three months after meeting both sides,” Stephanie replied, speaking in code in case someone was listening.

Victor hummed noncommittally.  “She’s doing wonders for Barbara’s work load. Been seeing a major difference in Babs since Felicity started working there.”

“I have noticed that. Tim’s been calmer too. And I think Lucius is planning a holiday next week,” the teen replied.

“Really? He hasn’t taken a day off since Bruce came back.”

“I know. He said he wanted to spend time with his grandson who’s visiting from Africa.”

“Well, how about that. Felicity’s been here for almost two months and has made an impact on us all.”

The two laughed and continued to talk about what their friends had been up to.  By the time they were done, the café was just about to close.

“Hey, has Felicity met Bruce yet?” Stephanie asked as the two stopped by the Brown apartment.

“Not that I know of. I think she’s met everyone but Bruce and Dick,” Vic replied.

“Well, Dick’s in Blüdhaven so I don’t expect her to meet him. Kinda weird how we all know her before him.”

“And we all sing her praises when we’re around Mr. Wayne,” Victor chuckled.

“Well, I guess they should meet sometime soon right? They can’t live in the same town, work in the same building, without meeting, can they?”

“Oh, they can try. Or at least, Bruce can try. You know how he is with bringing new people into our circle.

“Yeah. Not his favorite thing,” the young girl answered as she thought back to when she was first brought into the secret life they all led.  “But, we don’t want her in this life. At least not yet. We just want her friendship, right?”

“That’s right, Princess. And hopefully Bruce becomes her friend too. I don’t think Tim and Barbara can hold out inviting her to dinner with us all now that most of us know her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This starts the Countdown. Three more chapters until they meet!


	9. Alone at Last: Part 1

“It’s fine, Barbara,” Felicity tried to reassure her friend.

“Are you sure? I can hop on the server and help out,” the redhead stated.

“I’m sure. I can handle it. If I can’t, I’ll call you or Lucius,” the brunette assured.

“If you’re sure…”

“Yes, relax and try not to walk around too much. I don’t want you to mess up your ankle any more than you already have.”

“Alright. Just make sure you call if anything gives you trouble,” Barbara told her friend sternly.

Though the brunette couldn’t see it, the other woman was lying in bed with several ice packs all over her body.  Though she had told Felicity that it was just her ankle, it was actually a slew of injuries caused by training with Stephanie and Tim the night before.  They had been practicing with bo staffs and yantok*.  Stephanie probably looked as bad as Barbara did, if not worse if the texts the blonde was sending her were any indication.  Barbara was sure that Tim’s high pain tolerance would allow him to spend the day at work.

“I promise to call someone if I need help.”

“Okay. I’ll let you get back to work then.”

The two women said their goodbyes and ended the call.  The younger woman sighed as she leaned back in her office chair.  Barbara had called as soon as she was sure Felicity was at work.  The older woman had explained how she had injured her ankle and was going to stay off of it.  While Felicity was happy to help her friend and boss out, she was a little worried about what would happen since both Barbara and Lucius were out of the office.  Lucius’s absence was planned and had been set up for a few weeks, but Barbara was supposed to take over as the Department Head while the older man was out.  Now the responsibility was turned over to Felicity.

“This is going to be a long day,” Felicity sighed before calling Tanya, Lucius’s secretary, to let her know the changes about the “chain of command”.

~~

“So how’s it going?” Tim asked as he leaned against the server room door.

The dark haired teen had finally looked at his cell phone a few minutes ago to see the mass of text messages from both of his female teammates.  Steph’s texts were just a large amount of updates on her status while Barb only wanted him to watch out for Felicity at the office.

Felicity huffed as she looked over her shoulder at the younger teen, snapping him from his reprieve.  “It’s going. I’m not sure what happened except that someone caught a virus and it infected the entire server system.”

“Can you block the virus?” Tim asked.

“I’ve locked it down with some old files, but I need to know which of these disks they’re in,” the brunette huffed as she pulled out another hard drive and plugged the device in her hand into some slot he couldn’t see.  The screen on the handheld flashed green, lighting up the exhausted woman’s face.  Tim raised an eyebrow as another sigh left his friend.  “It’s like the only thing I don’t know: the exact number of the hard drives. Somehow Barbara can remember which are which on the drop of a dime. I feel like I should give up!”

Tim closed the difference between him and Felicity in a matter of seconds.  Grasping the older, but shorter, employee’s shoulders he forced her to stare straight at him.

“You will not give up. You’re not Barbara. She put this system together; of course she’s going to remember all of the numbers. Now, have you called Barb?”

“No,” Felicity admitted, “she was planning on taking some heavy duty pain killers last time we talked. I don’t want her trying to hack into her own system while on drugs when there’s a crazy virus in the servers.”

“Okay. How about Lucius? He might know,” Tim suggested.

“Would it be okay to call him while he’s on vacation? I mean, I thought he wanted to spend time with his grandson. It’s kind of rude to call someone while all they want is to relax with family. I could never do that to someone and-“

“Felicity, calm down. Lucius straight up told Tanya to call him if something big happened. I’d say a virus infecting part of the server is “something big.” Go to Tanya and talk to Lucius,” Tim almost ordered.

“Okay,” Felicity sighed.  “I’ll see you later today, okay?”

“Alright. Get going, ‘Lis.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Yantok is an eskrima stick weapon and the closest I could find to Oracle's weapons in the Bird's of Prey comics. They're usually made of rattan and are in sets of two.
> 
> Countdown: Two to go


	10. Alone at Last: part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's a little late! I got sick last week and didn't really have time to post.

_Deep breathes_ , Felicity thought as she listened to the ringing of the phone.  Just keep taking deep breathes.

“ _Hello?_ ” a deep voice asked through the line.

“Lucius?” Felicity asked a little out of breath.

“ _Felicity? What’s wrong? Are you alright? Did something happen?_ ” Lucius asked in rapid succession.

“I’m okay,” Felicity replied.  “Just a little out of breath. A lot’s going on right now.”

“ _Oh? Well what do you need me for?_ ” the elder man asked patiently.

“We caught a virus and I’ve got it blocked in one of the servers, but I need to figure out which server it’s on without letting it get out of the block. I’m not sure how long the block will last and Barbara’s at home with a twisted ankle and I don’t know what I’m doing,” Felicity rambled out.

“ _Hmm, well, I don’t know the server’s like Barbara does_ ,” Lucius admitted.  Felicity whimpered a little on the other end of the phone.  “ _However, I do have a sounding board I use when I need an out of the box idea. Think that might help?_ ”

“It might,” Felicity whispered.  “Can I get to them this late into the workday?”

“ _My dear, you won’t have to go far at all_ ,” Lucius coaxed.

“Oh? Where do I have to go then?”

“ _Just the fifty-sixth floor._ ”

“The fifty-sixth? That’s the corporate office level.”

“ _Well, where else would you find Bruce Wayne?_ ”

~~

After much convincing on Lucius’s part, Felicity finally agreed to meet with Bruce Wayne.  While her friends were very encouraging and had only good things to say about her boss, the nerves of finally meeting the man weren’t going away.  Tanya had smiled softly at her nervous twitching as she called Susan, Mr. Wayne’s secretary, to ask when the best time to meet with the man was.

_And of course the perfect time would be right now_ , Felicity thought as she hit the button for the fifty-sixth floor.

Wayne Enterprises was a sixty floor building in the middle of Gotham’s business sector.  The first ten floors were dedicated to security, welcoming centers, the dining area, and other small areas of the business Felicity never paid attention to.  Floors eleven through thirty-five were split among departments.  The IT department landing on the twenty-third floor.  Thirty-six through forty were owned by the different sections of HR.  From forty-one to fifty-six the floor were used by board members and other important people involved with the company.  Floors fifty-seven through sixty and levels B-one through B-ten were restricted to most employees, needing a special access key to reach them.

While Felicity had spent various amounts of time from floors one through forty during her two month working period, the other floors were a mystery to her.  The brunette swallowed loudly as the door opened on the correct floor.  She was a little shocked no one had grabbed a ride with her.  However there were a number of other elevators people could use.

“Hello,” the perky blonde secretary greeted her.  “What can I do for you?”

“Um, Tanya said I should come up to speak with Mr. Wayne,” Felicity tried to explain around her suddenly dry tongue.

“Oh! Yes, go ahead and knock. He shouldn’t be doing anything important. His next meeting isn’t until after lunch,” the secretary, Susan, told her.

“Oh, uh, thanks.” Felicity nodded before moving to the dark wood door across from the small desk Susan sat at.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's very short but I plan on a long chapter for the meet. ^_^
> 
> One more to go!!!


	11. Alone at Last: Part 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel the pressure! But it's here! The meeting between Bruce and Felicity is now posted.

Felicity held her breath as she knocked on the purple heart wood door leading to Mr. Wayne’s office.  She could feel her heart in her throat.  She had avoided meeting the boss of her boss for months and was now forced to initiate the meeting herself.

“Enter,” a strong baritone called from within breaking her from her thoughts.

“Mr. Wayne?” Felicity called out as she walked into the office.  The man behind the desk looked up with piercing blue eyes.  She took a double take at the dark gray three piece suit he was wearing.  She had seen pictures of him before but in person, she wasn’t sure if she could keep her head long enough not to make a fool of herself.  The realization made her look down at her bright pink button up and black slacks.  She was so out of her depth.  Taking a deep breath she started talking again, forcing the words around the lump in her throat.  “Is-is this a bad time?”

“Not at all. Let me finish this and then we can talk,” he smiled.

She felt like her stomach was doing backflips.  She glances around the office while her corporate level boss finished his task.  The office was small compared to what Felicity thought a CEO’s office should look like.  It could only be a few feet bigger than Lucius’s office, which Felicity could walk across in seven steps.  One wall was pure windows like many of the outside offices with another wall was made of bookcases and the other two walls were only broken up by pictures and the main door.  Felicity noticed several group pictures and could pick out many of her friends defining features from her position by the door.

“Ms. Smoak,” Bruce Wayne greeted while he pushed a few locks of his black hair out of his face.  “What can I do for you?”

“Well, you see Barbara isn’t here and Mr. Fox requested today off weeks ago, so I was left to deal with anything that popped up. Barbara told me to call her if I needed anything but the last time I spoke with her she said she was going to take some painkillers. So when this alert came up on my screen telling me about a trojan someone downloaded I knew I’d be alone dealing with it,” Felicity rambled as Mr. Wayne guided her to one of the overstuffed chairs in front of his desk.  “I was able to stop its trail of destruction but I need to figure out which server it’s in to get rid of the actual virus. I can’t just digitally locate it because I don’t have enough clearance to access the entire server; I can only go to parts at a time. So I need to know where it is, but I’m not sure how to find it without doing it digitally... Three… Two… One…”

“I don’t know a whole lot about computers,” he stated while smiling.  Felicity looked up at her boss.  He was leaning against the front of his desk, his ankles and arms crossed.  “I usually leave that to Fox and Barbara. However, do you know where it originated? We might be able to follows its “trail of destruction” that way.”

“I isolated the department, but I can’t go through the entire server..”

“Do you need to be in the department?”

“Well, no any computer so long as it’s logged in with an account that has access would work. Why?” Felicity asked slowly.

“I have access,” the dark haired male smirked.

Felicity watched him move around the desk and start typing.  She was a little skeptical that he would let her use his computer to find and destroy the virus.

“Well, shall we?” he asked with an amused smile.

Felicity blinked at him before opening her mouth.  “Why are you trusting me? You don’t even know me.”

The twenty-eight year old male stood up and walked to her.  He unbuttoned his jacket and kneeled down in front of her.  “Felicity Smoak, you have made friends with just about everyone I associate with. Each one of them tells me something different about you, but each tells me something good.”  Felicity opened her mouth to interrupt but Mr. Wayne laid his hand on her knee to keep her quiet.  “If that wasn’t enough, Barbara and Lucius took off on the same day. I know Lucius had planned on having the time off weeks ago and so did Barbara. She trusts you to be able to find solutions to problems while on your own today. I trust their opinions, so I trust you. There’s nothing else to it.”

“But I’m new and inexperienced and you have no idea how I work or anything. We’ve never spoken before. How do you know you can, you can trust me?”

Mr. Wayne smiled warmly at her nervous chatter.  “Tell me, Felicity, how often do you hear about me from your friends?”

“Well, Tim talks about you almost every day and Vic usually has some comment when I mention work. You’re our boss. You enter the conversation a lot. Why?” Felicity asked quietly.

“Did you know that Tim lives with me?”  When Felicity shook her head, he continued.  “He comes home every day with some story about you. Barbara spends enough time with me that she’s more a little sister than anything, and she sees you as her best friend. Even Alfred mentions when he sees you.”

"Oh."

"Shall we?" Mr. Wayne asked as he stood to his full height.

Felicity nodded, taking his offered hand.  She was shocked when her boss led her around the desk and into the large office chair by her hand.  She took a breath before sitting down in her _boss's_ chair.

"I hope you don't mind if I watch. Barbara never let's me actually see what she's doing while working," Mr. Wayne explained.

"Um, go ahead. I tend to space out though so please don't get upset if I don't answer any questions right away."

"Duly noted."

~~

Felicity covered her mouth, trying to hide a laugh, as Mr. Wayne led her out of the office with his hand on the small of her back. The dark haired billionaire was grinning alongside her.

"I thought I was going to be the intimidating figure but Barbara always throws wrenches," he laughed.  Looking up his smile grew.  "Tim, what do we owe the pleasure?"  The Interruption caused another round of laughter to bubble past Felicity's lips, which only served to make the older male's grin grow an inch or two.

"Just came up to check on 'Lis. No one's seen her since she came up here. Thought I'd check up," the teen grinned cheekily while watching the Interaction between two of his favorite people.  “Everything fixed?"

"Virtual disease has been treated at the source," Felicity answered after catching her breath.  “Thanks for helping me, Mr. Wayne."

"Hey now, I told you, it's Bruce," Bruce Wayne stated sternly.

"But-"

"That doesn't change just because we're in the public eye."

"Don't fight this one, 'Lis. He'll force it," Tim grinned.

"Okay," she grumbled.  "I should get back to my office. Thank you again, Br-Bruce."

"Not a problem. If you have any other problems while Barbara and Lucius aren't here just come find me," the tall male explained, allowing the hand resting on her back to fall.

"Oh, 'Lis, do you want to go to dinner with us for Steph’s official graduation?" Tim asked quickly.

The brunette glanced over at the older male before smiling at her "little brother".  "I'd love to. Just have someone send me when and where."

"Great! See you later then."

Felicity nodded before heading to the elevator, waving to the smirking Susan as she went.  The two (secret) crime fighters watched her go before turning back to each other.

"Office?" Tim asked.

Bruce moved aside to let his ward go through first.  Tim flopped into one of the chairs in front of the desk.  Bruce unbuttoned his suit jacket as he took the seat next to Tim.

"So how'd it go?" Tim asked after a long moment of silence between the two.

"We're going to have fire someone," Bruce sighed.  Tim’s suddenly tense shoulders caused Bruce to laugh.  "Not Felicity. She's perfectly fine. However the virus was downloaded from a child pornography website. We collected enough information to incriminate on his computer here to put the bastard away for a good amount of time. I already called Commissioner Gordon to come arrest the man."

"Damn," Tim whistled.  "Barbara’s going to be pissed."

Bruce nodded solemnly.  "I spoke with Felicity about setting up an algorithm to find any more of these activities. She thinks it's doable and is willing to work a little later today to get most of it done. She wants to let Barbara look over it before placing it in the system though."

Tim grinned suddenly.  "Did you just use this to make it so you can give 'Lis access to the entire network?"

"Well not the entire network," Bruce smirked.

"Sly bat. So what did you think?"

"Hmm?"

"Don't give me that. You know what I mean. What did you think of 'Lis?" Tim asked excitedly.

"She's what I expected," Bruce answered vaguely.

Tim groaned at the response.  He knew he wouldn't get any more out of his guardian.  Bruce wouldn't give any Information away about his meeting with Felicity.  The young male wasn't too worried about it though.  When the two had exited the office, the smiles and laughter gave away the good mood.  Though Bruce was a great actor, with so many people making friends with Felicity, he wouldn't dig himself into a position to lie when everyone else didn't know it.

"So are we patrolling tonight? With Steph and Barb out?" Tim asked.

Bruce nodded after a moment.  "Just patrols. The usual dealers, druggies, thefts. Nothing serious since we don't have backup."

~Bonus Scene~

"So what're you boys up to this fine evening?" a faceless man asked from behind the vigilantes known as the Bat and the Bird.

"Question," the Bat grumbled.  "What is it?"

"Heard you met Smoaky," Question replied as he shifted the hat on his head.

"He won't tell me what he thinks," the Bird piped up.

The Bat rolled his eyes and turned back to the city streets below him.  A beeping alerted him to someone joining the comms link.  The two males behind him stopped talking while they all waited to hear who it was.

" _Why are we all out when there's no support?_ " the voice of Oracle hissed.

"Just patrols, Oracle. We weren't going to do something without you ladies," the Bird stated before pushing his Oakleys into thermal mode.

"Go rest, Oracle," the Bat commanded.

" _I'm fine, Bats. I slept all day and am still at home_ ," Oracle replied.  " _Killer called and told me you met her_."

"She needed help," the kevlar clad vigilante explained shortly.

" _And?_ "

The Bird and Question tried to look like they weren't listening but it wasn't hard to tell.  The two, though trusting of their crime fighting friend, were realizing how protective they were of the little brunette.  The Bat turned to look at Gotham's skyline, as if searching for a specific building.

"She was everything you said she was," the Bat growled softly.

"Well that's informative!" the red clad vigilante cried out as he threw his hands into the air.

" _Actually it was_ ," Oracle stated.  " _Alright boys, let's go play._ "

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's done! Felicity has met all of the Gotham vigilantes. Now the plots can begin!


	12. Under or Over

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry! I know I'm late with this update. And I am so sorry about that! I would list all the reasons I have for this belated chapter but I feel like they aren't really good reasons. I am letting you all know that the chapter after this will not be out on the weekend either. I did not think anything through apparently!
> 
> I have a huge space blocked out for writing come the middle of next week. I hope to have several chapters written by then and will post TWO chapters for you guys next weekend! This is my vow.
> 
> So without further ado, chapter twelve!

Felicity jumped as a knock sounded on her apartment door.  Her white dress swished around her knees as she moved towards the door.  After unlocking the three locks she had added to the apartment, she opened to door to see Victor.  She stumbled in her dark red heels at the sight of her strawberry blonde friend.  The thirty year old laughed softly as he caught her.

“Victor! What are you doing here?” the brunette asked as he set her on her feet.

“Babs said you needed someone to get you,” he smiled.  Taking a good look at his friend.  She had let her hair down for the evening out with minimal make-up on.  Her white dress was broken up with a large red belt.  It was a shocking change from the usual slacks and jeans he saw her in.

“Oh! She said she would. I’m sorry. I didn’t know you were coming by,” Felicity babbled as she looked around the entrance of her apartment.  “If I had known I would’ve just gone by myself. I didn’t want to make anyone go out of their way. I’m so-”

“Sweet thing, it’s fine. You ready to go?” the reporter asked quickly.  He was looking around the apartment carefully.  He knew the area Felicity lived in well.  He and Bruce had been talking about adding it to the patrol route due to the rising burglaries and gang violence.  There was too much going on in the area for Victor’s protective instincts not to flair.   _I’ll have to tell Bruce and Barbara later tonight to finalize the new patrol plans. Don’t want our new friend to be hurt when we could prevent it._  He took another look around at the rundown place Felicity had made seem homey.   _I can see why she would pick it though. It’s one of the cheaper places near Wayne’s office._

“Yup! Just let me grab my purse real fast,” the small woman smiled before dashing into her apartment to grab a red handbag.  “Okay, ready!”

Victor smiled at his energetic friend.  “Well, we better not keep them waiting.”

The two started down the stairs, Victor a step before her to catch her if necessary.  Felicity chattered all the way down about everything under the sun, only needing a few words from Victor to keep up her dialogue.  When they reached the bottom floor, Victor led her to the silver 2009 chevy corvette.  The sight of the vehicle caused the young woman to stop walking.

“Um, Vic?” Felicity asked quietly.

“You okay, sweet thing?”

“Who’s- who’s car is that?” she stuttered.

“Huh?” the strawberry blonde male turned to look at the convertible parked at the curb.  “Oh! Bruce let’s me use one of his cars when I’m in town. My company usually rents one for me, but Gotham is home so I don’t get a rental.”

“Oh, okay,” she mumbled.

“It’s fine, sweet thing. I usually take his corvettes. He’s used to it,” Victor explained as he rubbed her back.  “Come on, we don’t want to be late.”

“Right,” she sighed as he led her to the passenger side door.

~~

Felicity’s stomach started doing backflips when she saw the place they were going to.  It was a posh restaurant that made her regret the decision to wear her white dress.  She felt too plain.  That by stepping in the restaurant everyone in there would know how poor she was.

“Should I turn around, sweet thing?” Victor asked suddenly.

“What?”

“You look like you want to bolt. Should I head somewhere else?” the older male asked seriously.  He had parked the car before turning to see the panic set in on his young friend’s face.  He and Barbara had speculated that Felicity would panic when the environment her friends lived in was thrown at her.  Barbara had actually yelled at Tim for a few good hours.  The redhead had sent him to get Felicity incase they needed to switch plans last minute.

“No,” Felicity almost shouted, “I just… Do I look okay? I had planned on asking Barbara when she picked me up but you came and I completely forgot to ask earlier. I mean I’m not hoping for supermodel, but do I look acceptable? This place is-”

“You look fine, sweet thing. Trust me, if you feel like the worst dressed here, Barbara has sweatpants she can put on,” Victor laughed.  It had the desired effect.  Felicity snorted before turning to open her door.

Before her hand could touch the handle, the door swung open.  The brunette’s eyes opened wide as she looked at Tim’s smiling face.  The teen hopped up and down as he waited for her to climb out of the car.  Victor laughed as he turned to corvette off and climbed out himself.

“You came!” Tim exclaimed while hugging the young woman after she was standing on her feet.

“Of course I came. I was invited. And it’s a big deal, graduating. Especially since Stephanie missed the last three months of the school year. I’m so proud of her,” Felicity babbled.

“Don’t tell her that,” Tim grinned.  “She hates the reminder she was in the hospital for so long. And,” Tim dragged out, “Bruce gets a pained face when we talk about it, so shhhh.”

Tim jumped away and hopped along in front of them.  Felicity sent a look to Victor in question.

“Bruce was there when Stephanie was injured. He hates himself for not being able to stop it from happening. And Stephanie feels bad for making everyone worry about her while she was in the hospital. It’s a touchy subject. We have an unspoken agreement not to talk about it at group gatherings,” Victor explained in quick, quiet sentences.

“Oh, thanks,” Felicity nodded as she and Victor walked into the restaurant.

Looking around at the main dining room, Felicity fought to squash the urge to bolt.  The lighting was dim and the tables were dark oak.  There were several patrons looking at them making Felicity’s panic surge.  She shot her blue eyes around looking for the people she knew she was meeting.

“We’ll be in a back room,” a familiar, deep baritone sounded from behind her.  She felt a slight pressure on the small of her back.  Turning her head, she found Bruce Wayne looking down at her from above her shoulder.  “Barbara and Stephanie are going to be a little late. They said to head on up without them,” he explained before placing more pressure on her back.

“We might as well get up there,” Vic sighed.

“Why are they running late?” Felicity asked.

“Barbara’s ankle and I think Stephanie has something wrong with her shoulder. It’s making them move slowly,” Bruce explained quickly.

“Oh,” Felicity nodded.  She almost faltered when she noticed Bruce was leading her upstairs.  “So you were the first ones here?” she asked, remembering that Tim lived in the Wayne Manor with Bruce and Alfred.

“Mm,” Bruce hummed in agreement.  “Barbara called to let us know they were going to be late. She said she called Victor before us.”

“She always thinks of everything, doesn’t she?”  Felicity smiled at Vic as he held the door open to a light filled room off the side of the upstairs walkway.

“Barbara seems to have everything under control. Some times I think the company would fall apart without her and Fox,” Bruce admitted.

The strawberry blond laughed.  “Our lives would fall apart without our women.”

Bruce’s hand shot out from his side and slamming into Victor’s stomach.  As Felicity turned to see what had caused Victor to grunt, Bruce’s hand returned to his side.

“Are you okay, Victor?” Felicity asked quickly upon seeing her friend in pain.

“Yeah,” the reporter groaned.  “Just a quick pain. It’ll pass. Go sit down, sweet thing.”

“Are you sure?” Felicity asked with her hands still reaching for him.

“Go. Let me catch my breath,” Vic encouraged.

“Okay. If you’re sure.”

“Hey! Why’s everyone clogging the door?” a female voice asked from behind everyone.

Felicity turned her head to look over Bruce’s shoulder, a feat only possible with heels and on her tip toes.  She squealed and turned around fully upon seeing her two female friends.

“Hey Killer,” Barbara grinned as she hugged her brunette friend.

After Felicity hugged Barbara, the younger woman moved to talk to Stephanie.  The two had found common ground in Stephanie’s hunt for colleges, though the blonde wasn’t planning on attending until the next fall.  The redhead smirked as she moved over to her males.

“So, why are you clutching your stomach?” Barbara teased.

“He hit me.”

“He was claiming you ladies,” Bruce explained after the other male quieted.

“Ladies as in me and Steph or was my coding goddess included?”

“I included sweet thing,” Vic blurted.

Barbara’s hand flew out and smacked Victor in the back of the head.  Bruce shook his head at his two friends as he watched the older male double over.  The fiery red head looked innocent as younger three turned to see what had caused Victor pain again.

“Maybe you should sit down, Vic. It might help with these pains,” Felicity suggested.

“That sounds like a good idea,” Stephanie agreed with a teasing glint in her eye.

“Won’t really help but make my legs the target,” the thirty year old mumbled as he shuffled into the dining room.  Tim chuckled as he led Stephanie and Felicity in.

“Shall we?” Bruce asked Barbara.

“What? Not going to lead me in by my back?” Barbara teased as she passed the ebony haired man.

~Bonus Scene~

“Bye, sweet thing,” Victor saluted in farewell as Felicity closed the door to her apartment.

The brunette laughed as she took off her heels.  While they were the most expensive ones she owned, they were the kind that pinched her toes and cut into the tendon.  A sigh of relief left her lips as the dark red shoes slipped off.

“And the award for best night without alcohol goes to,” Felicity muttered as she maneuvered to her bedroom to take off her dress.

With her dress off and her doctor who pajamas on, Felicity sat down with a bowl of ice cream and clicked on her television.  While she wasn’t too thrilled with the news, after several minutes searching for something of interest to watch with no results, it was the next best thing besides the many reality tv shows airing.

“Ya know,” Felicity spoke suddenly as a thought occurred to her, “everyone was acting really weird tonight. I mean, maybe it was ‘cause it was the first time I was with all of them at once… No, there was something else going on.”

The brunette hummed as she thought about the half finished and strangely worded sentences.  She trusted her new friends though.  She was an outsider of their group.  They had let her in, but some of the secret things they all knew were foreign to her.  It was a mystery though.  And she did love a good mystery.

“They’ll tell me what’s up when they want,” she chastised herself.  “Well, unless I figure it out somehow,” she amended after a pause.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, Bonus Scenes... Good, Bad, Just Kind of There?
> 
> I'm trying them out. Give me feedback so I know whether to keep them or not.


	13. Ain't Nothing But a Hound Dog

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm late. I'm late. And I feel horrible because of it. I didn't have internet where I was so I couldn't work on the next chapter. But here's Thirteen for you guys!

“Are you sure you don’t want me to walk you home?” Tim asked as he and Felicity watched the rain pour down.

“I don’t live that far,” the brunette insisted.  “And I even wore boots incase it rained!”

The pair turned to look down at the green rubber boots.  Tim laughed as he hugged Felicity.

“Alright. I’ll see you Monday,” the black haired grinned before handing her the umbrella he had been offering her.

“See you Monday,” Felicity agreed.

The twenty-one year old watched her friend run out into the downpour.  When he reached Stephanie’s metallic blue mini cooper, Tim turned around and waved.  Felicity laughed and waved back as she started down the sidewalk towards her apartment, the black umbrella held high above her head.

The forecast in the morning had alerted most of Gotham’s population to the oncoming storm.  If that hadn’t, the past workweek had been overcast and humid enough for most to be ready when the storm hit.  The streets were almost empty by the time Felicity finished her work load.

After nearly three months working for Wayne Enterprises, she was doing a lot of work on her own which caused her to work long after most employees went home.  Tim or Barbara usually worked late nights with her which kept her mind off of how late it actually was.  When any of them finished their work load another would walk them down to the door.  The last two would leave together.  It was a nice routine to have for the young brunette.

A whimper of pain shook Felicity from her thoughts about her work.  Stopping before the entrance of an alley, she peered into the darkness covering several trash bins.  A small movement and another whimper caused Felicity to hustle around the bins.

“Hello?” she called out softly.

An answering whimper caused her to turn towards a small space between two of the metal bins.  Shining her phone’s light on the area she found a medium-sized, soaked dog laying curled in the space.

“Oh, it’s okay, sweetie. I won’t hurt you,” she cooed.  She crouched down so she could see better.  “You must be cold. Do you wanna come with me?”

The dog raised its head as she spoke.  When Felicity stood up, she held out a hand like she would for her friends.  The stray moved slowly as he stood up.

“Ready? We’ll go slow,” Felicity cooed again once the stray was standing.

She could see heavy amounts of liquid pouring off the dog.  Pretty sure that’s not rain water, Felicity thought as she and the dog started down the sidewalk.

By the time the two made it to the apartment, the dog was swaying as he walked.  Felicity had stopped several times to try to carry the hurt canine, but he didn’t let her get too close.  Every time she tried he would let out a rumbling growl.  Once the duo made it to the building, the brunette made quick work of the front door.

“I’m on the fifth floor so there are some stairs. Think you can make it?” she asked her new friend.

In the light of the lobby she could see the places on the canine that were matted with blood.  It caused more worry for the stray to bubble.  The dirty mutt raised his head and swayed towards the staircase.  Felicity laughed as she jogged to catch back up.

“I suppose I shouldn’t question your abilities. I’m just worried you’ll push yourself,” she explained.  The canine lowered his head in what looked like a nod.

The walk up the stairs felt almost as long as the walk to the apartment to Felicity.  By the time they reached the fifth floor the canine was slouched over and looked about ready to keel over.  She unlocked her door as quickly as she could to get her new friend inside.

“Bathroom’s right across from the kitchen,” she told the stray as she set all of her things on the entryway bar.

The intelligent stray made his way into the shower before laying down.  When Felicity got into the bathroom she let out a small screech.  She turned on the water and began the long process of getting all of the mud off the stray.

“You poor thing,” she cooed while cleaning mud from a star shaped white spot on his head.  “Who would do this to such a sweet thing?”

After the last of the mud was off the dog, Felicity pulled her first aid kit out from under the sink.  It took some crafty maneuvering but she eventually got each one of the dog’s injuries bound.  After he was wrapped in bandages the mutt and Felicity moved into the living room.  The two laid down on the couch together; Felicity laying with the canine curled between her legs and the back of the couch.

“We’ll get you some food and water tomorrow, okay?” she yawned.

~~

A deep growl echoed through the small apartment late at night.  When the two had woken to the thunderclaps, Felicity moved to the bedroom, calling the stray in with her.  Now the young brunette slept on as the canine moved towards the window.  The window lifted slowly to let a black leather clad man enter.

The brown german shepherd, great dane mix growled at the intruder.  There were few humans to show him kindness and he would protect the ones who had.

"Easy boy," the intruder gruffed as one of his gloved hands reached out to the canine.

The dog sniffed the hand carefully before picking up several scents that clung to the woman and apartment.  The growl quieted but the mutt stayed alert.

"What's the hold up, Batty?" a voice called from the fire escape.  “She's not up is she?"

"No," the black clad male grumbled.  "She's got a dog here. Seems he smells us from our usual checkups. She'll be fine during the storm."

The intruder petted the mutt's head before leaving through the window.  The canine watched as the window shut just as slow as it went up.  When he was sure they were gone, he moved back into the bedroom to lay with the kind woman.

~~

"Do you know anything about dogs?" Felicity asked Barbara on Monday.

"Dogs?" Barbara questioned.  Victor and Bruce had told the redhead about the dog they found in Felicity’s apartment, but Felicity didn't know about the late night check ups. Or about their small group being a bunch of vigilantes.  "Can't say I do. I know Bruce had one when he was little and Tim wants to get one. Why?"

"Well I found a stray Friday night during my walk home. I cleaned him up and he stayed with me during the weekend," the brunette explained.  "When the end came Sunday I took him for a walk but he ran off when we passed the park."

"Hmm," Barbara hummed.  She didn't know a lot about dogs.  "Sounds like he might have seen something. Did you wait for him to come back?"

"Yeah. I could only wait thirty minutes though."

"He might have went back. Keep an eye open and he might show up to go back home with you," Barbara shrugged.  "Alfred might know more about dogs. Ask him after work today."

"Yeah I think I'll do that."


	14. Say Yes To the Dress

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NEWS: I am now hoping to update on Wednesday in honor of our hiatus. It might be bi-weekly though since I'm getting ready for a big move.

Felicity looked up as the door to her office swung open.  She saw a flash of red hair before the door slammed shut and the red moved down the door to where the brunette couldn't see it.

"Uh, Barbara?" Felicity asked.

"I hate Bruce," came the muffled reply.

Felicity stood up from her desk and walked around to where her friend sat against the door.  “Why do you hate Bruce?"

"He's making me get a date."

"Um... What?" Felicity questioned.

"There's a huge gala held by the Wayne family every year for the beginning of fall. Bruce wants me to go but he said I have to bring a plus one. This wasn't a problem before since Tim usually goes with me but there were some... offensive comments about that last year. So now I have to find a date and the gala's tomorrow!"

"You could take Vic," Felicity offered.  "I'm sure he wouldn't mind."

"If I take Vic then people will think we're dating. And then Stephanie would kill me," Barbara groaned.

Felicity opened her mouth to offer another suggestion when Barbara’s head flew up.  Strands of red hair flew around their bodies.

"Would you go with me?"

"What?" Felicity squeaked.

"Go with me! Be my plus one!" Barbara exclaimed.

"I don't think-"

"Please, Felicity! You wouldn't have to pay for anything! I'll be with you the whole time! And Tim and Steph will be there! Please!" Barbara pleaded.

Felicity jerked back.  Barbara paused in her begging to wait for the brunette's response.

"Alright. Just... don't leave me by myself, okay?"

"Of course," Barbara smiled.

~~

"Ready?" Barbara called into her bathroom.

After Felicity had agreed to go with her the redhead convinced the younger girl to skip the rest of the work day.  There hadn't been any problems with the server since the last update.  All they had to do lately were the daily sweeps which had been coming up clear that week.   _The new firewall seems to be working better since Felicity found the trojan. Idiots always think they can use the building's Internet for their sick obsessions_ , Barbara thought as she waited for her "date" to come out.

"Are you sure this dress is going to be enough?" the brunette asked as she walked out.

Blue eyes raked over the brunette.  The black dress they had picked out hugged Felicity's chest and abdomen while the skirt flared out enough to be loose around her legs.  There was dark green lace curling around the neckline and over her shoulders to create thin straps.  The lace also ran around the floor grazing hem.  The dress was finished off with dark green two inch wedges, emerald studs Barbara let Felicity borrow, smoky black eyeshadow, a natural pink lip stain, and a small black clutch Felicity had found while unpacking.

"You look good, Killer. Gonna have to beat them back with a stick," Barbara smiled.  "Now let me do your hair and we can go."

"Don't you usually get people to do it for you?" Felicity asked.

"Sometimes. But my mom taught me how to do my own hair when I was little. Stephanie has this phobia so I know how to do other's hair too," the redhead commented while picking up Felicity's light brown hair.  "Do you care what I do?"

"I'm not really girly so go and do whatever."

A smile spread across Barbara’s face as she picked up the curling iron.  She loved when she got freedom when doing hair.

The redhead was already dressed in a deep purple dress that Barbara knew would look black in the lighting of the gala.  The neckline cut deep enough to only give a hint of cleavage but the back was bare except for the intricate straps keeping the front of the dress tight against her skin.  The skirt flowed out nicely with a slit up to her mid thigh on the left side.  Black ankle boots and onyx earrings completed her accessories.  She kept her makeup simple with dark purple eyeshadow only on her lid and pink lipstick.  Her own hair was left straight on top while the curled ends laid on the tops of her breasts and back.

"What do you think?" Barbara asked after placing the last bobby pin in place to hold the mass of brown curls to the right side of Felicity's head.

"Wow. That's a lot of curls."

Barbara laughed.  "It let's your neck open while letting you see. I can teach you how to do it yourself if you want," she offered when Felicity started trying to find all the hairpins.

"Really?" Felicity gasped.

"Sure, but we better get going if we want to make the gala."

"Oh! Sorry!"

"It's fine, Killer. We can be a little late. Lord knows Bruce will be," Barbara laughed.  "Alfred said there would be a car waiting for us when I called him."

~~

Felicity felt a sharp tug on her arm before she was forced to hit the ground on her knees.  The pain of hitting the marble got the brunette out of her daze.  She glanced over to see Tim’s right hand wrapped around her upper arm and his left holding Stephanie’s shoulder.  Barbara was on Felicity’s right with her arm wrapped around the brunette’s waist, fingers digging into the fabric covered skin there.

“Now ladies and gentlemen, I am here for one thing,” the strange man in a dome like red hood standing beside the dead security officer began, “and that is, well, the gracious amount of money you, generous people, have raised for our poor city.”

Tim’s hand tightened around her wrist as the stranger walked around the circle created by the scared party goers.  The man’s polished black shoes clicked as he walked past them.  Felicity flinched as the gun was pointed in their direction.

“Now, I am hoping all you lovely people will stay put as my boys take everything of value from your possession,” the man in the purple tuxedo laughed.

Several of the men with red face masks moved around the room collecting items from those present.  Barbara and Tim both tightened their grips on Felicity when one of the masked men moved towards them.  Before the man could touch them, there was a loud crash as the windows high above the floor shattered.  All of the masked men turned as two bodies landed on the marble flooring on opposite ends of the circle.  Felicity vaguely noticed that the death grip her friends had on her loosened upon the dropping of the two vigilantes.

“Well if it isn’t Little Red,” the seemingly faceless man teased.  The blue trenchcoat moved with him as the vigilantes circled the gang leader.  The lackeys in the crowd moved to form a loose circle around the vigilantes.  “And look, she brought her, what are you guys? Dodgeballs? Pimples?”

The man in the purple tuxedo and red cape laughed as his lackeys looked at each other.  None moved to attack; their leader hadn’t ordered them to.  “Well if it isn’t the Question and the Bat,” the leader greeted.

“Hood,” the other newcomer growled, his own black leather cape swirling with his movements.

Felicity recognized the two vigilantes from her research from over a month ago.  She knew that the one in black was known as The Bat and the sarcastic one in the blue trench coat was known as The Question.  However there were only the two vigilantes.  The other two known to be in the group were missing.

“How nice of you boys to drop in,” the criminal gave a grand gesture by opening his arms wide as if in greeting.  “Would you care for a glass of champagne?”

“I would,” Question answered, “but I have no mouth to drink it from.”

“Oh I’m sure I could help,” the man in the red dome hood offered, “just let me put a bullet in that pretty little head.”

Felicity flinched back as the gun in the madman’s hand was pointed at the vigilante.  She could see Stephanie push into Tim from her peripheral.  However the faceless man simple stood where he had stopped between their group and the door on the other side.  Felicity could see that the vigilante picked this spot due to it leaving the smallest amount of party goers behind him.

“Put the gun down, Hood,” The Bat growled, “and come peacefully.”

“Hmm,” the criminal hummed as if thinking about the offer.  “How about… no!”

The gun went off and suddenly the criminals and vigilantes charged at each other.  Felicity was pushed and pulled away from the fight by the crowd in front of her and her friends on either side.  There was a lot of movement from the fight so much that the brunette could only tell when one of the bad guys fell down or when someone pushed back from the brawl only to charge back in.

“Come on,” Barbara hissed as she pulled the twenty-one year old with her.  “We need to get out of here.”

“The door is on the other side of the room,” she whispered back, her voice shaking as she watched the fray in front of them.  Several of the attendees had already made for the doors while the criminal gang was occupied.

“There’s a door behind us on the left,” Tim offered.  “We should be able to get there without too much trouble.”

“Let’s go,” Stephanie’s voice cut in.  The blonde’s voice shook a little less than Felicity’s but the brunette took solace knowing she wasn’t the only one.

The group moved until their backs were to the wall.  At that point Tim switched places with Stephanie and led them to the door.  Felicity took the nineteen year old’s hand to both give and receive comfort.  A slew of gunshots rang out as the group moved along the wall.  Felicity screeched as she heard one of the bullets imbed itself in the wall beside Barbara.

In turn, the red head shoved Felicity forward and into the doorway.  Tim grabbed the young brunette’s hand and pulled her the rest of the way into the hall.  Barbara followed not soon after.  Several other occupants moved to follow them into the hallway.  Tim’s grip on Felicity and Stephanie allowed him to pull the girls after him, towards what he knew was the exit.  Barbara followed behind them after making sure that the other people exiting through the door knew where to go.

After several turns and doorways, the growing group of traumatized party goers reached the main doors.  Outside the gallery where the gala was being held were several police vehicles were pulling up.  Upon seeing Gotham’s Finest outside, Barbara took the lead and pushed the double doors open.

“We have a group that escaped coming out of the building. Is Detective Nilsen here?” the woman in dark purple asked.

“Miss Gordon!” a blond man in uniform called out from the opening door of a police cruiser.

“Detective, I hope you allow our friends to be treated,” the redhead winked.

“The ambulances are on their way,” the male smirked as he led the group of officers to help people outside.  “Why don’t we get you all seated and you can tell me what happened.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Barbara grinned.

Tim and the detective helped the women move to a bench over by one of the cruisers.  Felicity sunk down on the bench with Barbara beside her holding the brunette’s hand.  Stephanie stayed standing and began pacing between the bench and Tim, who was giving his statement to Detective Nilsen.  The two women on the bench watched as the blonde paced.

After several minutes full of questions and comments about what they saw happen, Felicity noticed the sound of someone running.  It stirred her from her thoughts because up to that point no one had run anywhere near them.  All five of the small crowd turned to see a harried Bruce Wayne rushing towards them.

“Are you all okay?” he asked when he knew he was in hearing range.

“We’re fine, Bruce,” Tim replied.  “A little shook up but no one’s hurt.”

“Except the fact Barbara was almost paralyzed,” Felicity muttered.  Her eyes bugged out when she realized what she had said.  “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to say that. I think the adrenaline is starting to get to me. I should probably sit down. But I’m already sitting down. Man I feel like I’m floating. Is that normal? I don’t think so, but I’ve-”

“Easy, ‘Lis,” Tim grinned.  “It’s normal. We should probably get you home.”

“That sounds like a good idea. Let me just get Mr Wayne’s statement and you lot can get out,” the detective offered.

“Not much to tell, Detective,” Bruce replied.  “I got a call from a colleague and let my date go on ahead of me. Went into the bathroom to talk and next thing i heard was gunshots. Hid in the stalls until I didn’t hear anything. One of your officers found me and showed me where you all were.”

Felicity bit her lower lip and turn her head as she watched Bruce.  She had thought Tim mentioned Bruce leaving his phone with the young man early on, but she could have been wrong.  A lot had happened since the beginning of the party.  The brunette didn’t notice Tim sucking in his lower lip while watching her.

“Did you happen to get the name of the officer?” Nilsen asked.

“Pickit, I think,” Bruce answered while running his hand through his hair.

“Alright. I’ve got all I need from you four. Go home and get some rest. Take care of them, Wayne.”

“Always,” the black haired twenty-eight year old nodded.  “Alfred has the car read, I believe.”

“Why don’t we have a sleepover at my place?” Barbara offered.  “We can call your mom on the way, if you want, Steph.”

“I’d like that,” the blonde admitted.

“Me too,” Felicity agreed.


	15. Sha La La La Don't be Shy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry about the lack of postage for the past weeks. My life took a turn for the worst. First no internet, then I had a car accident so no car to get me _to_ internet. And finally I'm at a family reunion. Luckily my family is cause for much of my inspiration so in the two days I've been here, where there's free wifi, I have finished this chapter and am now posting it.
> 
> Sorry to everyone who has waited patiently for this chapter to arrive.

The group of five made their way to the waiting car.  Alfred looked over them as they slowly got into the back of the small limo he held the door to.  Tim and Stephanie made their way in first, taking the seat backed against the driver’s seat.  Bruce let Barbara and Felicity precede him, leaving Felicity in between her two older friends.

“Phone?” Stephanie asked after everyone was seated.

“Here,” Tim handed over Bruce’s phone from his pocket.

The blonde nodded as she took the cell.  She quickly dialed her mother’s number.  She waited a few moments from starting to explain the situation to her mom.

While Stephanie spoke on the phone, Barbara looked at her sometimes boss over Felicity’s head.  The older male looked over at her and raised an eyebrow in question.  The redhead just shook her head and wrapped her arm around Felicity.  The brunette leaned her head on Barbara’s exposed pale shoulders.  Bruce looked over at the two and reached to pick up the traumatized woman’s feet.  He slowly took off her wedges and placed them off to the side.  The only way he knew she was aware of what he had done was the fact she shifted to lay down across the seat.

Bruce and Barbara shared another look over Felicity.  This one Bruce understood from a conversation long before he had actually met the chatterbox brunette.

“I’ll be fine, Mom. We’ve just arrived… Yeah, probably won’t wake up until late tomorrow… I’ll call you before I head home… Probably Barbara’s phone… Love you too, Mom,” Stephanie answered before hanging up the phone and handing it to Bruce.

“You girls going to be okay?” Tim asked as he watched Felicity slowly sit up as the car slowed.

“Yeah,” Barbara answered.  “We’ll be fine. Come on, let’s get out of these dresses.”

The other girls nodded and headed for the lit up lobby of Barbara’s apartment building.  The doorman was already holding the door open for them.  The redhead noticed movement from the top of her building.  She looked back to see Bruce nod.

“Vic’s going to watch you girls,” he explained needlessly.

“Hood?”

“Got away,” Bruce growled.

Barbara could hear the hint of Batman in his voice.  She knew that the two men in the car would be working on finding the ever elusive Red Hood.  She nodded before moving to the waiting girls who were huddled around the door.

The three moved slowly to the elevator.  Once inside, the silence between them was broken by Stephanie’s laughter.

“What are you laughing about?” Barbara asked.

“Felicity forgot her shoes in the car,” the blonde giggled.

The other two women looked down to find the brunette’s feet bare.  Laughter rang in the elevator as they all succumbed to almost hysterical giggles.  The hung on each other as they tried to stay standing.  By the time the elevator reached Barbara’s floor, Stephanie was on the ground in between the older two, Barbara was almost sitting on the handrail, and Felicity was doubled over with her hand on Stephanie’s shoulder.

They stumbled onto the floor, making their way to the door of Barbara’s apartment.  Barbara’s hands shook so much that it took her four tries to get the key in place.  The trio of chortling women moved from the entryway to the left hallway, making their way to Barbara’s bedroom to change clothes.  Luckily, Felicity had planned on staying the night with her friend and Stephanie always had clothes at her friends’ houses, just in case.  As each girl divested the formal dresses they wore, the laughter and good mood that had built up in the elevator died.

Each girl found something on them that reminded them of the activities of the night.  As Barbara carefully took off the backless dress she wore, she found small pieces of wall stuck to her once sweaty back.  Stephanie felt pain shoot up her legs from the movement of running away.  While the blonde was used to the act of running due to her nightly activities, her usual boots were low heeled and her earlier pacing caused her ankles and calves to burn.  Felicity's mind was filled with images of the man who had introduced himself as the Red Hood.  Stories about Gotham's criminals were nothing compared to the actual thing right in front of your face, as the brunette was beginning to find out.

"I'm grabbing some wine," the red head stated when she was finished pulling on a pair of ragged sweatpants and a large black tee, one she stole a little over a year ago.

“What kind?” Felicity asked.

“All I’ve got is some Lambrusco from a few weeks back,” Barbara replied.

The brunette hummed in pleasure.  “That’s a good red. What year?”

“You know, I don’t usually look. I have a friend who sends me a bottle every now and then. I’ll go grab it and a few glasses.”

“Me too?” Stephanie asked, knowing she was underaged and didn’t expect to be included.

“I’m not leaving you out of the drinking tonight. I’m not Bruce,” the oldest of the three winked.

“Does she have any movies? I didn’t see any, but you never know,” Felicity asked.

“Um, yeah. Want to pick one?”

“You go for it, Steph. Just pick something happy.”

“You got it,” the blonde perked.

Felicity finished putting on her purple, yellow polka dot pajama set while she tried to shut out the images of the evening.  When she turned towards the hallway, she found Barbara watching her with a concerned eye.

“You okay?” the redhead asked.

“I will be. I think I just have to work through what happened. I mean, I know it happened and I know it could have been worse but I don’t think my mind has processed what _exactly_ happened. It sort of feels like a dream or like a clip from a movie. I kind of hope my life doesn’t become a whole lot of events like this one,” she paused to suck in a gulp of air.

“It’ll be okay. Bruce and I go to enough of these events that if you need anything we’ll help you,” Barbara stated honestly.

“This happens often?”

“When you go to parties full of rich people, especially in Gotham, you sort of come to expect this sort of thing. I guess we forget how odd it really is.”

“Okay!” Stephanie called from the living room, interrupting any further conversation.  “I found _The Little Mermaid_! I hope we’re good with that.”

The older girls smiled a little at the sight the nineteen year old made with an old VHS in hand while wearing blue teddy bear pajama pants and a large white t-shirt that fell off her shoulders.  The blonde grinned while holding out the tape for her friends to see.  Barbara held up the wine bottle and glasses in response.  The brunette turned to lead the way into Barbara’s bedroom.  While Felicity’s back was turned the sometimes-vigilantes shared a glance of concern for their new friend.

The three settled onto the bed as the tape began to play.  Wine flowed quickly between them.  Every song that played was belted by at least one of the women.  None of them spoke more than necessary for either more wine or a simple comment about the movie.

“I wish my dad was like that,” Stephanie commented as she turned off the television.

“Like what?” Felicity asked while she refilled her glass.

“Caring. I mean my dad just did his own thing without worrying about me and mom. Mom’s the one who made sure we had a roof over our heads.”

“At least you know your dad,” Felicity replied softly.  “Mine left when I was still in diapers.”

Stephanie looked up at the new information.  While they all spent enough time together, they rarely spoke about their families.  Mostly because some of the history led to an underground hideout.

“That sucks balls,” was all Stephanie said in response.

“At least you have moms,” Barbara answered after several moments of silence.  When Felicity looked up in shock, the redhead explained.  “My parents died when my drunk of a father hit a group of trees.”

“Oh my goodness,” Felicity gasped.

“Well, we’re a great bunch of people. Let’s toast!” Stephanie exclaimed.  “To our messed up lives that have brought us together. May we forever kick ass.”

“Here, here!” the other two chorused while laughing.

~~

“ _How are they doing?_ ”

The sudden sound coming from the comm hidden under his mask caused Question to jump to his feet.  When he realized the sound came from his comm and not the fire escape he was positioned on, he replied to his friend and colleague.

“They’re watching _The Little Mermaid_ right now,” the blue coat wearing vigilante responded.

“ _I asked_ how _not_ what,” came a growling response.

“Okay, I suppose. I don’t think Smoaky has really processed what happened, but the girls are doing a pretty good job of keeping her mind off of it. Wine and movies.”

“ _You believe we’ll have to watch her?_ ”

“Probably. And your little slips aren’t going to help keep the secret.”  While the vigilante was faceless, his tone led anyone listening to believe he was rolling his eyes.

“ _Question,_ ” the other male growled.

“Not my fault you can’t lie. Can’t to any of us really. Why do you think we’re all here?” the Question teased.

“ _Suggestions?_ ”

“Tell her the truth?”

“ _Question,_ ” he growled again.

“I’m serious. I think it’ll help her deal with the shit from tonight if we just tell her. I can list my reasons,” the Question didn’t give his friend a chance to argue before he started reciting the list the faceless man had complied.  “One: she’ll know she can trust us to protect her. Two: she’s going to figure it out anyway. Three: we could use her help with the tech work. You know Oracle is running on fumes most days. Having shifts of technicians will help everyone. Shall I continue?”

“ _Enough. I see your point. But for now we leave it alone._ ”

“I’m going to love being able to say ‘I told you so’ when she figures us out. So plans for normal recovery?”

“ _How about breakfast?_ ” the young voice of the Bird answered.  “ _We come in late morning and make pancakes and stuff._ ”

“I think that’s a great idea, Birdbrain!”

~~

“What’s that smell?” Felicity asked as she raised her head from Barbara’s stomach.

“Bacon,” the redhead replied.

“What?”

“The guys are in the kitchen cooking,” Barbara supplied.

“When,” the brunette paused as Stephanie, whose upper body laid across the older women’s legs, groaned.  “When did they get here?”

“Fifteen minutes, I think. Can you reach your phone? We can text Vic to move her.”

“Give me a sec.”

After a few clicks on Felicity’s phone, the strawberry blond male came in.  When he saw the position they were in he snapped several pictures.  After he noticed the twin death glares he was getting, he lifted the small, blonde nineteen year old so that the other two could get off the bed.  After the older females were standing, Victor placed the young girl back on the bed where Barbara placed a blanket over her.  Quietly, the three left the bedroom and walked through the hall to enter the main living area of the apartment.

“Morning!” Tim called from the living room.

“Morning,” Barbara grumbled as she went for the coffee pot.

“Good morning. Why are you guys here?” Felicity asked before pausing.  “I mean, not that it isn’t nice to see you guys, it’s just so early. Or I think it’s early. It could just be that we were up for so long. Or we could have been asleep for a long time. I mean I haven’t looked at a clock so I’m just kind of guessing how long it’s been. Of course-”

Felicity stopped talking as Victor covered her mouth with his hand.  “Why don’t you go sit at the table, sweet thing. I’ll fix you a plate.”

“It’s not that late,” Bruce answered as she walked past him into the dining area.  “Just after ten.”

“Too early,” Stephanie groaned as she stumbled into the living area.  The blonde allowed her body to flop on top of her boyfriend’s in the recliner.

“What are you doing up, Princess?” Vic asked.

“Tim’s loud.”

“That he is,” the redhead groaned as she held her head.

“Why are you guys so grumpy?” Felicity asked.

“Do you not have issues with alcohol?” Stephanie asked.

“Not wine,” Felicity stated.

“Bitch,” Barbara snapped as she sat across from the brunette.

“Agreed,” Stephanie huffed.

“Leave her alone, you two,” Bruce ordered as he sat a plate of pancakes, eggs, and bacon in front of the brunette.

“Thank you,” she smiled.  Bruce nodded as he smiled back.

Bruce turned around to see Victor’s raised eyebrow.  The black haired male glared before turning back to the skillet.  The older male grinned as he started pouring drinks for everyone.


	16. Out of the Pocket and into the Economy

"Barbara?" Felicity asked as she opened her apartment door. "Stephanie? What's going on?"

"We're going shopping," the young blonde grinned as she slipped under Felicity's arm to enter the apartment. "Man this place is smaller than some of the places Mom and I lived in. How much you paying for this place? Guess since it's so close to the building you're better with travel expenses. Damn! Barbara you have to see how small this kitchen is!"

"Uh," Felicity stuttered.

"Ignore her," Barbara smiled. "Go get dressed. Stephanie wasn't kidding about the shopping part. I tried to text you but you didn't reply."

"Oh! Yeah, my phone," Felicity looked to the side where her phone sat on the coffee table. "Guess I didn't hear it go off."

Barbara hummed noncommittally as she pushed her younger friend into the apartment. "Go get dressed. I'll keep Steph from tearing things apart."

"Alright," the brunette nodded as she moved to her bedroom with one last glance to the bubbling blonde.

"Hey, Barb," the young nineteen year old whispered when they heard Felicity moving.

"What's up?"

"I think the power's off," Stephanie replied while pointing to the TV. The blonde proceeded to show Barbara as she hit the power button on the remote. The admission caused Barbara to notice that no lights were on, but every window was unobscured to let in natural light. "And the water didn't run in the kitchen sink. How much does this apartment building cost?"

"More than it should. And she doesn't seem too excited to go shopping."

"Could she be out of money? She gets paid a good amount right?"

Barbara nodded. "But I know the cost of the building doesn't include amenities."

"Fuck. If Bruce finds out, what'll happen?"

"Depends on how he finds out," Barbara admitted. "I'll clue him in after a little research. I hate hacking my friends but if she's in trouble..."

"We're gonna help. So Bruce's card for shopping?"

Barbara only nodded as the third member of their little group joined them. "Ready?" the redhead asked her best friend.

"Yup," Felicity grinned. "I don't know how much I'll get though. Shopping isn't something I really enjoy."

"I love shopping!" Stephanie grinned. "I'm sure I can find something you'll like. We can even stop by a bookstore if you want. We really just wanna hang out."

"We haven't really hung out outside of work," Barbara shrugged when Felicity looked at her. "Let's go, yeah?"

~~

Barbara grinned at her friends while Stephanie pulled several different tops and skirts down and into Felicity's arms. When they had arrived, it only took Stephanie finding a selection of bright blouses to get Felicity agree to trying some things on. Of course, the brunette didn't know that any outfit she said she liked would be bought on Barbara's card. While the redhead had told Stephanie they'd use Bruce's card, which he had given them when they mentioned dragging Felicity out to shop last night, Barbara thought being able to tell Felicity it was her who bought the items would give the other woman a sense of relief. Stephanie's attack on Felicity's wardrobe also allowed Barbara to go through her friend’s financials.

Barb: _Does my goddess have family in Coast?_

Barbara texted to Victor, knowing he would remember the obscure nickname she had given Felicity over a month ago. While Barbara knew a lot about her friend, it was only by Felicity's mouth. The redhead knew Victor had asked Fox for the background information that had been collected before they hired her. Barbara's own research had focused on Felicity's abilities while the others found out more personal information.

Vic: _Mom. Waitress living in middle class area. Way too high cost living for someone living on tips._

Barb: _Thanks._ Barbara texted Vic before starting another to Bruce.

Barb: _Get to mall. Need to talk. Nothing dangerous._

Vic: _Everything good? Need anything?_

Barb: _Not at the moment Vic. Might later on. Few days probably._

Vic: _Keep me posted. Weird, you asking about sweet thing._

BW: _Do I need cover?_

Barbara sent a quick confirmation to Bruce, ignoring Vic's inquiry for the moment, before Felicity and Stephanie appeared with bags. While Stephanie was grinning and ready to go for more, Felicity looked ready to send the clothes back.

"Don't worry about it," Barbara told her friend. "I have so much money saved up that I really won't notice the amount gone."

"You paid for them?" Felicity squeaked.

"I promised Steph a shopping spree for her birthday." Not a lie. "If she wants to spend said spree on you, I won't stop her."

"You guys," Felicity's voice broke.

"Come on, 'Lis. Let's get you some dresses for the office. Ones that'll make you POP!" Stephanie cut in before grabbing both of the older women to make them follow her.

“Are you sure?” Felicity started to question.

“Don’t worry about it, Killer. I owe you for taking this job anyway. Never thought I’d have a friend like you,” Barbara admitted.

The next twenty minutes were spent shopping for work dresses. Since Barbara only wore dresses to parties, she simply gave her opinion on a few colors that she had noticed looked good on her friend and let Stephanie have the reins again. Felicity didn’t seem too worried about the cost thing anymore, which made Barbara happy her friend didn’t think she owed her for buying simple things.

BW: _Here. Turn around._

Barbara grinned at the message before making herself look around the store for anything that could catch her eye. When her eyes jumped over the door, she found Bruce leaning against the doorway with a smirk on his face. With a lighter step, she made her way over to her best male friend. The redhead sent a quick text to Stephanie.

Barb: _Bruce here. Keep her busy for me._

“What’s going on, Babs?” Bruce asked when she was close enough.

“Boy, do I have a lot to tell you,” she huffed.

~~

“Bruce!” Stephanie grinned when she saw the dark haired male. The blonde made a show of looking around the area outside the mall.

“Sorry, Steph. Tim’s working on some class work,” Bruce told her.

“Oh well. At least we have you,” Stephanie grinned before handing the bags she was carrying over to him. “Go ahead and give him yours too, Felicity.”

The brunette flushed as she tried to get her voice to function. Bruce smiled before sliding the bags out of her hands.

“Oh! You don’t have to! I can carry them. Not that I think you can’t either, I just don’t want you to think-“

“Whatever you think might be going through my head,” Bruce interrupted, “it isn’t. I’ve gone on several of Stephanie’s shopping trips. You ladies can work much better if I just hold on to these.”

“But-“

“It’s alright, Killer,” Barbara took pity. “Stephanie would throw those at him anyway, when she got them away from you. Might as well skip the drama.”

“Besides,” Stephanie piped up, “I find it humbling, to make him carry bags when he has Alfred to carry his.”

Bruce scoffed. “I came here to shop myself, without Alfred, thank you very much.”

Stephanie only stuck her tongue out at him before grabbing Felicity and Barbara to find another store. “How about pajamas next? I can always find the really cute and soft ones.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I swear this started out as just the girls shopping but suddenly there was plot. But I do love the image of Bruce weighed down with bags. If I could draw I would create that image.
> 
> Talk between Barbara and Bruce can be found in Consultations.


	17. Private Eyes, They're Watching You, They See Your Every Move

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry this took forever. My move-in date got pushed up so I had to pack everything quick as a bunny then unpack and get settled. Then Victor decided he was going to be a little bitch for this chapter. You'll understand at the end, I promise. Sneaky little Question.

It wasn’t until the Tuesday after the girls went shopping that everyone could get together.  Victor had a big article due for the Tuesday print while Tim had a test earlier that day.  Bruce had been working on a merger with another company most of the time, ironing out the details.  Everyone was busy.  Barbara and Stephanie had tagged teamed Felicity all of Monday and the work hours of Tuesday.  Barbara had watched the brunette throughout the two days, watching her eat enough food to last, seemingly, until the next day.  Stephanie had dragged Felicity to the movies Monday night.  Now the lady vigilantes planned on making one of the, now regular, night time check-ups.

“What’s wrong?” Tim asked causing the hushed conversation between the redhead and uniformed blonde to halt.

“Wait until everyone’s here,” Barbara commanded.

“Oh-kay,” Tim replied cautiously.  The nineteen year old moved to the designated dressing area to get into his own uniform.

“She seemed twitchy earlier,” Stephanie continued, when she was sure her boyfriend wasn’t in hearing range.

“Probably because we’re acting weird. Bruce warned me about being obvious, but I guess we didn’t listen,” Barbara laughed lightly before turning to the console.  She needed to get more information on the latest villain that had shown up in the city.

“I can’t help it,” the blonde huffed, black skirt swirling around her knees, allowing the dark purple underside to peek out.  “I went through the whole no money thing and I know how that sucks. I don’t want that for my friend.”

“I don’t either, but she’s choosing it. She’s sending money to her mother.”

“Why? It doesn’t make sense! Shouldn’t the parent take care of the child?”

“From the trail I followed, the money goes straight towards the mortgage. And I think Vic did surveillance on her mother. So we might find out what she’s up to. God, I hate digging into her life!” Barbara nearly screeched.

“Whoa, what’s got your panties in a twist?” the familiar baritone of Victor Sage sounded from the outside entrance into the lair.

“I’ll explain later. When everyone’s here,” Barbara replied, noticing that he already wore his “costume”.

Stephanie ran up to Victor, black heels tapping on the stone floors.  The two hugged, as was their usual greeting, before moving back to the computer station Barbara used.  The redhead smiled weakly at the strawberry blond man.

“This about those texts?” he asked quietly.

When the woman known as Oracle nodded, Victor hummed softly.  She could see the wheels turning in his head.  While The Bat was known as “The World’s Greatest Detective”, Victor was a journalist that knew how to fit pieces together, not just get the quote.

“So, ETA on the big bad?” Tim called as he moved to the area of the cave the others were in.  It was a raised platform cut from stone that stood almost a meter above the ground level.  When he sat himself on the edge, Tim began connecting his multitude of chains.

“Bats said he’d be a few minutes behind me,” Victor announced.

“That’s alright. He knows most of what we need to say,” Stephanie grinned.

The two males looked to the women with impatient eyes.  Barbara laughed at the eager looks they sported.  Stephanie’s grin grew to stretch from ear to ear.

“Don’t keep us waiting, Princess,” Vic huffed, pulling the black hoodie over the blonde’s eyes.

“And now all I see is purple,” she groaned before pushing the fabric off and fixing her headphones.

“Well?” Tim turned to Barbara.

“Felicity’s in some financial troubles,” Barbara finally gave.  “From what I can tell she’s using a good portion of her pay to, I think, keep her childhood home safe from the bank. The money goes straight to the mortgage so her mom isn’t using the money for anything she shouldn’t. What money she has left, Felicity is using to try to keep her apartment. The landlord probably sensed that she was new to living on her own and took advantage of her. He’s bumped her rent and utilities up to be almost double of the others in the building. Ideas?”

“Move her out,” Tim stated.

“That’d take too long, and she might figure out that we know she’s having money troubles,” Barbara stated.

“I’ll talk with her landlord,” Vic stated.  “He won’t know I’m doing it for one person. I’ll make it look like a new article I’m writing. After that, if things get worse somehow, we move her to your building. We can get Bruce to make up some lie about background checks and looking into employees.”

“Do you think that’ll actually work?” Stephanie asked quietly.

“If all else fails,” Barbara trailed off as the elevator doors opened to let Bruce Wayne into the underground cave system hidden under his manor.  “Mr. Wayne,” Barbara grinned.

Bruce rolled his eyes as he headed to change.  “I’ll never know what caused that to start will I?”

“Now what ever do you mean, Mr. Wayne?” Vic grinned.

~~

“Hey you guys mind if we stop by Smoak’s?” the smallest of the group of four asked.

The other three vigilantes stopped in their rush to their base of operations.  The one known as The Bird moved to the water tower that shadowed them.  The older two vigilantes turned to each other and held a silent conversation.

“ _I wouldn’t mind if you guys did,_ ” Oracle offered.  “ _Actually I’d like to know she isn’t freezing with this cold front coming through._ ”

“We’ll check on her,” The Bat grumbled.

“We might have to split up,” the Bird called from his perch on the rusted water tower.  “Looks like a robbery on Avenue E.”

Tapping could be heard from the other side of the comms before Oracle confirmed what the young man in red leather saw.

“Question, go check on Smoak. We’ll deal with the robbery,” the Bat growled.

“You got it, Batty,” the faceless man teased.

The Bird jumped from the water tower while the Question jumped to the next roof top.

“Anything I need to know about Smoaky’s place?” Question asked as he raced across rooftops.

“ _She might be up. There’s a light on in the hall window, but it could just be from a lamp in the kitchen area,_ ” Oracle informed him.  “ _I don’t think she ever found that dog you guys ran into._ ”

“Sounds good. I’ll let you watch the others’ backs.”

“ _Didn’t need your approval._ ”

“Never said you did.”

“ _Just make sure Goddess is alright. I’m really worried about her._ ”

“I’ll have a word with her landlord tomorrow while you ladies are busy.”

“ _Thanks, Quest._ ”

“Always happy to oblige,” he replied as he reached the appropriate roof.

The man moved silently down the fire escape stashed in between two apartment buildings.  After a quick jump down the side to avoid a late night smoker, the man arrived at the third floor.  He peeked into the window and spotted the small brunette curled up on the couch.  Granted she was taller than the shortest of the vigilantes, but she was much shorter than most of the group.

“Looks like she fell asleep on the couch,” he informed the others through the comms.

“ _Is she covered?_ ” Oracle asked.

“Can’t tell. Want me to check?”

“ _Be careful, Question._ ”

“Always, Batty.”

The faceless man took off his blue trench coat and laid it across the railing of the fire escape.  He then carefully lifted the window, knowing it tried to squeak halfway up.  There was no rush of warm air heading outside once the window was up.  The vigilante bit back a growl at the knowledge she was living in such cold weather.  While it wasn’t winter yet, the cold front surrounding Gotham kept the night air in the low sixties.  With such cold air hanging in her apartment, the vigilante was surprised she hadn’t mentioned it to her friends.

He placed a foot inside the cold apartment before sliding the rest of his body inside.  He walked on quiet feet to the end of the couch.  The brunette woman was curled into a tight ball on one cushion of the couch.  The vigilante grit his teeth together before looking around for a blanket.  _If she keeps one nearby, it’ll look less suspicious. Like she grabbed it half asleep,_ he thought to himself.

When he couldn’t find one, he sighed.  While Question knew she would figure out their identities eventually, he didn’t want to be the reason she found out.  However, he also knew he wouldn’t leave her to freeze during the night.

Question moved to the hall the head into her bedroom, making sure his path would be open to placing her on the bed.  A low shadow on the fire escape caused him to tense.  Before he could move to check it out, a brown snout sniffed along the window causing him to freeze.  The vigilante moved forward to peer down to see a rather familiar mutt.

“Well, now aren’t you a sight for sore eyes,” the man whispered.

The canine froze before lifting up so it could see into the apartment.

“Can you get in here yourself?”

The mutt let out a huff of air, letting Question know the dog was unimpressed by the vigilante.

“Well, then, get it here. She’s freezing.”

The mutt nodded before jumping into the window, Question stood back and watched as it moved to the couch.  The faceless man let out a soft laugh at the image of his friend and the mutt.  Once he was sure they would be fine, he moved out onto the fire escape.

“She’ll be fine, Oracle,” he announced as he grabbed his coat.  “She’s got an old friend with her.”

“ _Who?_ ” he heard over the comms.

“Well, why don’t you ask Batty what he found during that storm four weeks back.”

“ _The mutt’s back?_ ” the growling voice of Batman asked.

“Yeah, must have been waiting for a chance to get in too. I wasn’t in there long before he showed up.”

“ _Interesting,_ ” the Bat replied.

~~

“Good morning, sir,” a strawberry blond man greeted as he held open the door for a slightly older man.

“Morning,” the other man grunted.  “What can I do for ya?”

“My name is Charles Sage and I’m writing a story about living conditions in different cities around the country. I was walking by when I saw the sign on your building,” Victor pointed to the “Rent Now” sign above the door, “and was wondering if I could speak with the landlord.”

“Well you’ve got him,” he stated, buffing his chest out.

Victor Sage watched the man preen as he continued to speak.  “Well, it must be my lucky day. Do you mind answering a few questions? I’ve asked the same questions to landlords just like yourself in Starling, Blϋdhaven, Metropolis, and even a few out in Central City. Would you mind?”

“Not at all. I’d be happy to. Would you like to come into my office?”

“That would be wonderful, Mister…”

“Jackson. Paul Jackson.”

“Well Mister Jackson, it is a pleasure to meet you.”

“I believe, Mr. Sage, the pleasure is all mine,” the slightly overweight man grinned.

Victor listened to the man tell him the different amenities he offered the residents as they moved to Paul’s office.  Several of the things the man listed caused Victor to grin internally; there was nothing like that in the building.

“Most residents spend about three thousand overall a month,” Paul explained as the two men sat down in the well-furnished office.

“Really?” Victor asked, widening his eyes in what looked like shock.  When Paul nodded the blond continued.  “That’s rather cheap for being so close to the heart of the city. How do you do it?”

“Well, I’m able to put in some of my own money to help out around the place. I also have a deal with Wayne Enterprises for several of their employees to live here,” Paul Jackson puffed.

“Really?” Victor asked in true shock.  That was something he didn’t know.  “About how many employees live here?”

“I’d say about half of the building.”

Victor read the man’s body language carefully now.  It wasn’t just about a friend living in poor situations.  This was bigger than just Felicity Smoak.  It was no longer a fake interview to scare a landlord.  Victor had bigger things on his plate now.  If this man had been using WE employees for so long without anyone knowing, it wasn’t just new employees.  It had to be bigger.

“Hmm,” Victor hummed while flipping through his notepad.  He looked at some stats he had pulled up in the time since Tuesday.  “I suppose the higher rates people talk about are the non-Wayne Enterprise employees, correct?”

“Higher rates?” Paul gulped.

“Well, I just realized this, but I did interview a few of your residents a while back. I was just starting the article then. I guess I didn’t recognize the address; I had planned on speaking with a few more to get a better picture, you know?”

“Well, those who don’t fall under the contract have the regular rates for the area. You know how it is in such a big city. I can’t feed them all. I try to go as low as I can, but sometimes it’s hard,” Paul fidgeted as he tried to explain.  “And I don’t require people to tell me where they live. I try to catch all the employees who end up here, but some just don’t mention it. You know how touchy city folk can be.”

“Hmm,” Victor hummed noncommittally.

“Why, just last week I found out that one of my res on the fifth floor quit working for Wayne. I felt bad having to raise his price. Poor kid doesn’t have a new job yet.”

“I see. Mister Jackson, do you have a copy of the contract? I’ve never heard of Wayne Enterprises making such a deal,” Victor admitted.

And it was true.  There were several buildings owned by the company, or Bruce himself, that most employees stayed at, if they needed it.  Barbara’s own apartment building was one of them.  So was the Brown apartment, or at least it was after Bruce accepted Stephanie into the “club”.

“Oh! I’m sure I have a copy around here somewhere,” Paul smiled weakly.  “Let me just look in the files.”

“Wonderful,” Victor smiled easily.  While the balding man stood, Victor decided to up the stakes.  “Oh, I was wondering, do you happen to have a… Let me see… Oh yes, a Felicity Smoak living here? She spoke about her living arrangements, but I never did get an address. It’s a long shot, but do you think you can look for me?”

“Of, of course,” he stuttered.

“Wonderful. Simply wonderful.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ladies and Gentlemen, I hope you see why I think Victor is a little bitch. At first I planned on having Tim and Stephanie come in all "We're going to rent our first place" but then Victor had to be a little bitch and BAM suddenly I have a conniving little bitch to work in. All throughout that third part my mind kept going "He's a mean one, Mr. Grinch" and I had this image of a very nice looking man slowly realizing he's been made.
> 
> So, brownie points if you remember the mutt. For those of you who don't know the comics (or seen Batman Beyond), the German Shepard/Great Dane is a mash-up of Ace the BatHound and Titus (Damian's dog) respectively. So, now you know my little secret about "Ain't Nothing But a Hound Dog".


	18. To Please or Not to Please the Mob

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry this took so long. The ending of this chapter gave me a hard time and since I moved away from my friend, who usually helps me work through the tough parts, I had to find time we could both be free. Hooray for email!

“Night, Carl!” Felicity called as she got out of the elevator.  She was finally leaving the office, after almost everyone else.  The only ones the brunette knew would be in the office building was the security’s night shift.

“Goodnight, Ms. Smoak,” the security guard waved.  “Be careful going home.”

“I will. Tell Jenma I said hi!”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Felicity grinned as she walked out the double doors of Wayne Enterprise.  It had been a long day of working through code, but she and Barbara had been able to get a lot of work done.  It had been almost two months since Bruce had asked the brunette to create a program to root out pornography sites accessed from company computers.  The program itself hadn’t taken long to compile.  However, once Barbara caught wind the two thought it would be even better if they could add a feature that, when finding the key words, would simultaneously block the site from the network and send a virus to the site, as well as send the information to the police department, if the site was deemed full of kiddy porn or other such illegal material.  Making sure all of the key words worked and the sending and blocking features didn’t counteract each other had been the difficult part.  The day was the first official running day of the program.  And it had worked like a charm.

Felicity was proud of her program.  While a lot of ideas had come from Barbara, the bulk of the work was done by Felicity in all of her spare time.  Which admittedly wasn’t a lot now that her redheaded friend was teaching her about the physical aspects of the server system.  It was a long process made even longer by their regular workload.  To top off her good mood, the dog she had found and lost a month ago had returned during the coldest night of the weekend.  She had even named the mutt, Ace, due to the white spot on his forehead that was shaped like a diamond.

“Hey pretty lady,” a voice called out.

Felicity felt like a bucket of cold water had been dumped on her.  Glancing out of the corner of her eye she found six men around her age moving towards her from across the street.

“What’s a pretty thing like you doing out this late?” one laughed as another whistled.

Feeling the euphoric mood leave her, the brunette started the move faster down the sidewalk.  She was only two blocks away from her apartment.  Perhaps she could reach it before they reached her.

~~

“ _Hey, news just in_ ,” Oracle’s voice called over the comms, “ _Killer is now headed home_.”

“ _How close are you two_?” The Bat’s growl echoed through the commlink.

“Not far. We should catch up to her in two minutes,” the purple and black clad Batgirl responded.  “Sooner if Robin goes ahead of me.”

“ _Don’t split_ ,” Question huffed.  “ _Watch each other’s backs_.”

“Yes, _dad_ ,” the female teased as she and her partner for the night moved across the roofs of buildings towards their friend’s normal path home.

“How late is it?” Robin asked, noting where the moon hung in the sky.

“ _Almost eight o’clock_ ,” Oracle answered.  “ _Way too late for her to be out by herself. Think she asked one of the guys to walk her home, Bats_?”

“ _No_.”

“ _Want us to catch up with you two_?” Question inquired.

“Nah, we can handle it. Just means I should invest in some sneakers instead of boots,” the blonde vigilante laughed.

Wordlessly the two sped up so that they would reach their friend sooner.  When they reached the street they knew she would be on, all they found was empty asphalt.  Using only motions and hand signs, the two split up to search for the one they called Smoaky.  The one the public called “Bird” turned his glasses to see the heat signatures around them, hoping to see that she had just moved quicker than they anticipated.

“Fuck,” he cursed.  “BG, I’ve got heat telling me someone got dragged into the alley network. I think there’s a bag in there. I’m going to check it out.”

“ _Be there shortly_.”

The black haired teen moved silently into the alleyway.  When he found the object he had spotted at the mouth of the alley, he cursed again.  It was a light purple bag he knew his girlfriend had bought for the woman they were looking for.

“ _Need me to come down_?”

He shook his head so she could see.  Pointing ahead of him towards the right connecting alley.  One thing the group of vigilantes hated was the alley network.  It was always strange how Gotham had perfectly good streets but the way building plans had been drawn up made it so only a native to the area could navigate the expansive alleyways.  Each alley either met up with a street and another alley or just two alleys.  It made it hard to know which way whoever had gotten their friend had gone.

“ _I’ll go check it out. Might want to see if she touched any walls after the first time_ ,” his girlfriend suggested.

Robin nodded and switched to heat signature mode again.  He spotted a faint signature against some trashcans down the left connecting alley.  Grabbing the bat shaped weapon from a pocket, he stabbed one end into the wall to mark his path.  Moving quickly down the way, he hoped nothing bad had happened to his friend.

~~

The brunette isn’t sure _what_ happened.  She knew that her heels made it so her best run wasn’t fast enough.  The group of men had snatched her and pulled her into the alley, only they took so many twists and turns that she had no idea where she was.  She had reached out to anything and everything hoping someone would hear the commotion.  No one look out their windows.

Felicity had been thrown at a brick wall, hitting her head and shoulder before sliding down and curling into a ball.  She felt the men’s hands on her body.  They tried to uncurl her from her fetal position with bruising force.  One was able to get his hand close to her waistline.  She was happy she had worn slacks to work that day.  When she refused to move, she heard the distinct sound of a knife flipping open.  At that point, she let the tears flow down her eyes.

“Now, how about you entertain us, before I have to cut up that pretty face of yours,” one of the men taunted.

“Maybe you should see if you can cut those pants off,” one of the others laughed.

“Is that a challenge?”

“Of course. I don’t think you can do it. Not when you can’t get to everything.”

“We’ll see about that.”

Felicity whimpered as she heard the man move closer to her.  When he took hold of her slacks she tried to kick him, only to feel more hands move to hold her down.  Her tears streamed down her face as she realized she had no way out of the situation.

“Now this doesn’t seem fair,” another, younger, voice called out.  “Attacking defenseless women. Tsk, tsk. I think my partner’s going to have something to say about that.”

A dull thud sounded through the alley before another voice spoke.  “Oh, I do. I think there’s a lot I can say about this. But I’ll let my boots do the talking for me.”

Felicity heard boots stomping of the ground and groans and grunts, but the scared brunette kept her head hidden between her knees and abdomen.  She didn’t think she could have looked if she had wanted to.  She felt like her body was frozen in place.  A hand on her head made her flinch a little.

“It’s alright,” the first voice, a male, cooed.  “We won’t let anything happen to you. You’re safe now.”

She wasn’t sure why this voice calmed her heart, but the sound stopped pounding in her ears.  She felt her muscles relax slightly, still tense from the sound of an ongoing fight.  The hand on her head stroked her hair back, keeping only a light pressure to let her know they were still there.

“Go ahead and sleep, ‘Lis,” the voice cooed again.  “We’ve got you.”

The terrified twenty-one year old pushed into the hand, feeling the safety the person offered resonating through her bones.  The movement caused her eyes to peek between her knees and arms.  She caught sight of black pants and red leather of the young male stroking her hair.  Moving her eyes up the dark figure allowed her to catch a glimpse of black sunglasses and messy black hair.  Before she could look any further, her vision turned into pitch.

Slowly, the young woman woke.  She first felt the wind hitting her back, her face pressed against something warm.  Then she realized the same warmth touched the side of her chest, shoulders, and the backs of her knees.  The warmth was almost enough to send the woman back into slumber, but the biting wind kept her conscious.

“Do you think she’s going to be okay?” a feminine voice asked quietly.

“She’s strong. If not, we’ll look out for her,” a male voice answered from beside her head.

“Do you think _he’ll_ let us tell her?”

“Doubt it,” came the response.  “Come on. Let’s get her out of this wind.”

“Think the pooch will let us in this time?”

Laughter rumbled through the body holding her and into her own, relaxing her further.  “Probably. He’s smart enough to realize we aren’t the ones who hurt her.”

A feminine snort came to the sleepy woman's ears.  “You and Question have a lot of faith in this mutt of hers.”

“Ace is smarter than you give him credit for.”

Before Felicity could catch more of the conversation or contemplate how they knew her dog's name, she fell back into slumber.


	19. Fit for a King

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So because I made you guys wait so long for this, have some Bruce/Felicity!

“Miss Smoak,” Alfred greeted as he moved from the town car.

“Alfred!” Felicity grinned. “It’s nice to see you, but unfortunately I’m running late.”

“That is precisely why I am here, Miss Smoak,” Alfred smiled. The brunette tilted her head, showing her confusion. “Mister Fox called your home some minutes ago to inform you that he has given you day next two days off. He was worried he missed you so Master Bruce asked me to stop you from entering the office. I am to take you to the Manor for the day.”

“The Manor?” Felicity gasped. “As in Mr. Wayne’s home?”

“That’s the place,” Barbara called from the doors.

“Hey! What’s going on?” Felicity asked quickly.

“Well Lucius and I took some time off and we decided you should too. But I also know if you go home you’ll end up working on something and that’s not the point of a vacation. Tim told Bruce about it and he suggested you go to the Manor. Tim and him live there and it’s not uncommon for us to all have dinner there,” Barbara rushed to explain. “And Vic and I already figured it’d be intimidating enough as it is, so we figure give you some hours to get used to the place then everyone goes there for dinner. Steph said she might bring some movies so that’s a possibility. And before you ask, Bruce already said it was okay for you to look around. I doubt you’ll stumble on something you shouldn’t.”

“But-“

“Felicity,” Barbara held up her hand, “I will call Bruce down here and I know he could easily carry you, hold you still in the car, and force you to stay at the Manor. Don’t make me call him.”

“Fine,” the brunette huffed. “But if this goes wrong I get to blame all of you.”

The redhead grinned. “Works for me. So long as you get a break.”

Felicity smiled. “You know, you should probably leave the babbling to me.”

“And you should get in the damn car.”

Felicity sighed as she turned to the car. Alfred smiled softly as he held the door open. Looking back at her friend, the brunette saw Barbara pull out her phone threateningly.

“I’m going. I’m going,” Felicity huffed as she moved to get in. It was strange to have someone else close the door when she entered. Taking a deep breath Felicity let her muscles relax. She hadn’t realized how much her body hurt until the panic of missing work receded.

“Don’t forget to call if you need one of us to show up,” Barbara reminded the elderly gentleman.

“I shall remember. I believe the library will keep her occupied well enough,” Alfred nodded as he moved around the car.

Barbara laughed. “Sometimes I feel like you have wire taps on all of us.”

Alfred only smiled at her before getting into the driver’s seat.

~~

“Are you sure this is okay?” Felicity asked again as the car pulled up to the front of the Manor.

“Quite, Miss Smoak,” Alfred answered calmly, as he had every time she asked the question. He knew she was nervous about entering Wayne Manor. “Is there anything specific you would like to do on your day off?”

Before the brunette could answer her stomach growled. A blush spread across her cheeks. “Um, I might have skipped breakfast.”

“Then we’ll head to the kitchen first,” he smiled softly.

He let the young woman enter the main foyer ahead of him. With an almost permanent smile on his lips, he slowly led her through the halls to the kitchen. Her eyes were constantly moving from object to object as they moved. Her lips parted slightly in amazement. Oh yes, Barbara and Victor were right to let her get used to the extravagance of the Manor on her own.  It always lightened the old butler's heart to see first time reactions of those who step into the Manor.

"Here we are," Alfred led her through the double doors into the cozy kitchen.

"This is  _not_ what I was expecting," Felicity announced.

The kitchen was warm and inviting where the brunette had expected cold and industrial.  The cabinets were a warm brown that brought out the blue flecks in the countertops.  The refrigerator was adjacent the stove and surrounded by tall cabinets.  Small appliances like a coffee maker, toaster, microwave, and blender were scattered along the counters.  All of the appliances were white giving the room a bright feel. There was a wall of windows opposite of the refrigerator allowing bright sunlight to reflect off the surfaces.  A large wooden table sat slightly off center, towards the only bare wall that held the double doors.

"Wow," Felicity announced as she took it all in.  "Definitely not what I was expecting."

Alfred smiled knowingly.  "Master Bruce had the kitchen remodeled after Master Tim moved in. He wanted a place that they could come together as a family."

"It's gorgeous. Feels more like a home than any other part I've seen. I mean not that I really know what Mr. Wayne thinks of as  _home._ It just doesn't seem to fit in with the museum like atmosphere of the rest of this place. Not that this place is a museum! It's just- Please shut me up."

"Most of the Manor remains as it has for as long as the Wayne family has lived here. Only a few things have changed. Master Bruce feels it would be dishonorable to change the areas seen by most of the public," Alfred explained as he went about the kitchen.  "Many of the personal rooms have been changed. This was considered the family dining room before it was remodeled. The formal kitchen and dining room are rarely used. There is also a private living room where the family gathers for movies and such. Several of the bedrooms have been remodeled. Though Master Wayne has kept the master suite as it was when his parents lived in it."

Felicity was glad Victor had told her how her group of friends considered each other family. It was a nice thought that Bruce would want those he cared about to feel at home in such an intimidating place.  "Does he stay in the master suite?"

"Hmm? Master Bruce? No," Alfred replied as he pulled a carton of eggs from the fridge.  "Master Bruce stays in one of the other suites. Now, what would you like on your omelet?"

~~

Bruce stood leaning against the doorway of the library.  He was the first one to arrive home, so he had gone to find Felicity. Alfred had told him she was in the library but the CEO didn't think the older man had known she had fallen asleep.  The chair the brunette was curled up in was facing away from the window and towards the door, giving him a perfect view of the sleeping woman.

She was wearing a pair of yoga pants that belonged to one of the other girls and an old plain tee shirt of his.  Her hair was let out of her usual ponytail to fall freely around her face while her glasses sat on the tip of her nose.  An open book in her lap allowed him to deduce that she had given into her exhaustion while reading.  She looked peaceful and vulnerable sleeping in the large wing back chair.

While he didn't want to wake her when it seemed she needed the rest, Bruce also wanted to give her time to wake up before anyone else got there.  Sighing through his nose, he moved into the library.  When he reached Felicity, he lifted the book from her lap, taking one of the bookmarks from the side table to mark her place.

"Felicity," he called softly as he knelt down.  "It's time to wake up."

"Mm. No."

"Come on, sweetheart. It's almost time for dinner," he coaxed as he moved strands of hair from her face.  He heard her take a deep breath before watching her body stretch in the limited space.  "There you go."

"Mr. Wayne?" she asked when her eyes opened.

Bruce smiled.  "I thought I had got you to stop calling me that."

"Mm. Hi."

"Hi. Have a nice day?"

"Mmhm. Very nice. Though now I'm wondering whose idea it was," she answered as she tilted her head.

"Barbara's," he told her.  "However, we all agreed it was a good idea."

Felicity nodded before uncurling her body.  Bruce stood up and held out his hand to help her to her feet.

"So what's for dinner?"

"Not sure. Tim hasn't gotten home yet. It's his turn to pick."

"Ah. Hey how did you beat everyone else here?" Felicity asked as they left the library.

"Stephanie's mom wanted to have a family dinner, so she and Victor are over there and Tim is waiting for Barbara to finish up."

"So just going to be you, me, Tim, Barbara, and Alfred for dinner?"

Bruce nodded.  "Alfred has plans, if I'm not mistaken. So just the four of us."

In reality, Alfred would be covering the comms for the night.  For once, Bruce was happy Barbara had come up with the covers for the night.  He knew he had difficulty lying to the woman at his side.  It had been the same with Dick and Barbara when he had started his nightly activities and later on with Tim.  Bruce knew he was fighting the inevitable, but he would fight bringing the innocent woman by his side into the mayhem for as long as he could.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry this took so long guys! Honestly I've been working on this chapter off and on for what feels like forever. Everyone should thank Ghost for this update because it would not happen without him. He has listened to me complain about this chapter and has helped me with the many versions of it. This finally came about when he bought me season one. I started watching and saw Diggle at the beginning and suddenly my muse was alive. So instead of the many versions where Felicity enters the building, Alfred happened which made all my issues disappear, apparently.
> 
> Also I can honestly say I am never going to give up on this story. Mainly because I have so many headcanons that won't see the light of day until I actually hit Season 1 of Arrow. So you guys can be sure I'll go at least that far. I may time skip some but yeah, Arrow will happen.


	20. Home Sweet Home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love all of you! So much!! My muse also loves you. As proof, here's the long awaited chapter 20!
> 
> Many thanks to all those who've encouraged and waited so patiently!

Victor strode into the IT floor with a purpose.  A manila folder tucked under his arm.  A few of the workers glanced at him, but they continued working.  It wasn't so uncommon for the reporter to visit.  The strawberry blond pushed open an office door and dropped the folder on the person's desk before flopping into the guest chair.

"Uh, hi," Felicity greeted uncertainly.

"Open and be amazed," he grinned at her.

The brunette raised an eyebrow at him but did as told.  She read through several papers before turning wide eyes to her friend.  Victor Sage just grinned and motioned her to continue reading.  She complied, reading through the entire folder of information.  When she finished, Felicity at back in her chair, resting her head on the back.

She took a deep breath before turning to the reporter.  "So, how much do the others know?"

"All of it," Victor told her truthfully.  She grimaced.  "Barbara was the one to find your situation weird. I did a little digging. You aren't the only employee getting this information. Though department heads are dealing with the others. We figured having a friend show you would be better."

The young woman nodded.  "So what happens now?"

"Well, Bruce is going to sue the man for everything he's worth. Everyone in his buildings will be moved to facilities that actually have Wayne Enterprises endorsement."

"When is this all happening? There's so much I'll need to pack."  Felicity let her head fall onto her desk.  "Man, I just got everything unpacked."

Victor just grinned at her, though she couldn't see.  "There's going to be a company doing most of the packing. The movers are going to go by floor, top first."

Felicity sighed into a boneless blob.  Victor just grinned as he continued to inform her of all the things that would be happening in the next few days.

~~

"Are you sure we don't have to pack up anything else?" the brunette asked for the nth time as she fluttered around her soon-to-be old apartment.

"It's fine, 'Lis," Stephanie answered as she finished taping a box of fragile items closed.

"The movers are doing the bulk of it. We just had to get your clothes and breakables ready to go," Barbara answered from the bathroom.

"Then why are you in my bathroom?"

"Making sure you have toiletries in an easy to get to place," the redhead snarked back.

It was the three day of the big building move.  Stephanie and Barbara had been over to help their friend with the few boxes she had to pack.  Tim had been by with food every night for dinner, and Bruce was dealing with the lawsuit.  Victor had been sent on another lead, this time in Blϋdhaven.

"Should we head to your new place when the movers get here?" Stephanie asked.

"That'd be a good idea," Barbara answered first.  "We could help direct things that way. We'll go over after we know they get to work here."

"I guess," Felicity agreed.  "We won't be in the way then."

"Think we could convince Tim to bring Chinese again?" the blonde teen giggled.

Barbara grinned.  "What? Didn't get enough the last two nights?"

Felicity giggled as she thought about what Tim's face looked like when they had requested Chinese both times he offered to get dinner.  Stephanie just smiled innocently at her two friends, making both older women break into laughter.

~~

After hours of getting things "just right" the group of friends settled down to enjoy a night celebrating Felicity's move.  Bruce had arrived not long after the movers had finished, baring a bottle of wine.  Tim had, begrudgingly, got Chinese for everyone.  And the women had unpacked and put away most of the brunette's things.  Now they were relaxing around the living room, fire crackling in the fireplace.

"I can't believe you put me across from Barbara," Felicity glared at Bruce.

The older man raised an eyebrow.  "So you would rather be miles away?"

Her glare intensified.  "Not what I meant. You shouldn't use your power like this."

"What's the point of having the ability if I don't use it?" he grinned at her, pouring her another glass of wine.

"Bribery will not work," she teased.  "I'm on to you, Bruce Wayne."

"I'm shaking."

The other three occupants just watched as the two bantered and teased each other.  Stephanie was shaking with silent laughter.  She knew Victor would _hate_ the fact he missed this.  Barbara could only wonder how long it would take Bruce to be completely open with the newcomer, and how long it would take for them to see what everyone else saw.  Tim was furiously typing on his phone, texting his pseudo-brother a play-by-play.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have to say, this looks nothing like what it was planned to be. The Bat Fam were gonna be all sneaky and move Felicity without telling her. But, muse finally coughed up the words.
> 
> Also it's really short... But it's out. Muse has begun to give me what I need for Decisions to continue. Success!


	21. Life Plans

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here! Have another one!
> 
> I'm riding a writing-high. I am also probably as happy as the lot of you that there's progress in Decision Switch. My hands are shaking I'm so excited to be writing.

Stephanie stared at the computer screen in front of her.  Several college applications were open and waiting for her to write.  However, the blonde had no clue what to write or how to make herself appear like a good student.  Bruce had already told her he would pay for her tuition, as he had done with Dick and Tim before.  Now all she had to do was apply and get accepted.

Though she had no idea how to do either.

Barbara and Tim had gone to their first choice school due to grades and such.  Bruce never went to college.  Victor hadn't _finished_ college.  The teen started listing all of her classmates from high school, wondering if any of them would help.

She was startled from her thoughts by a knock at the front door.  Her mother had gone to work, and Victor was finishing his latest article so they could have dinner that night.  Stephanie couldn't think of anyone else who would show up at their door, except Jehovah's Witnesses.

"Steph, I know you're in there," a voice called from the other side of the door.

Stephanie went to the door, peering through the peephole, to find her boyfriend's sister figure standing in the hall.  Still confused, Stephanie let her friend in.

"Uh, not that I don't mind, but why're you here?" the blonde asked.

"Victor told me you were working on college apps," the brunette answered.  "I figured you could use some help. Lord knows I wished someone would have at least pointed me in the right direction when I started."

"Oh bless you!" Stephanie jumped at Felicity, hugging her close.

Felicity returned the hug with a chuckle.  "Show me what you've got."

Stephanie looked pained.  "It's not much."

The brunette just laughed.  "We'll fix that."

Felicity proceeded to show the younger woman all of the tricks and tips she had learned while applying for college and jobs.  Stephanie soaked it up like a sponge.  She asked every question she could think of.  Stephanie was also mentally kicking herself for not asking Felicity for help when she started.  Luckily, Victor saved her a mess of unproductive hours.

"Okay, so I really like this one," Stephanie pointed to the college near Miami, "for my degree. But it's so far away."

"Then let's check to see if they have an online program," Felicity offered.  "Most big universities have that option now."

"Sweet!"

They continued to check the different websites they could, making a list of all the ones that Stephanie liked.  While they hadn't started any applications, Stephanie felt much better about the prospect now that she had looked at all of her options.  And Felicity had even printed out some of her own completed applications to show her!  She reminded herself to kiss Victor when he came by.

~~

Victor showed up not long before her mother was due home.  He came burdened with Italian takeout.  Enough for all four of them.  When he had set the bags down, Stephanie had jumped him, smacking a kiss on his cheek.

"Thank you!"

Victor laughed.  "You're very welcome. Now help me dish everything out."

Stephanie grinned and did as told.  While they plated the food, Felicity cleaned up the mess in the living room.  Mrs. Brown came home just as they were beginning to dig in.

Dinner was spent with Stephanie excitedly telling her mother all of what she and Felicity had decided about the different colleges.  Mrs. Brown was very pleased to see her daughter no longer fretting about filling out the different applications.  When Victor and Felicity got ready to leave, she made sure they knew how much she appreciated what they did.

"Thank you, Victor, Felicity," the older woman said softly.  "I was worried about Stephanie when I left this morning. She looked like she was going to pull her hair out, she was so frustrated. Thank you."

"It was no problem," Felicity grinned.  "It wasn't long ago I was filling them out. I was a mess. When Vic told me she was going to start on them, well, I kinda invited myself over. Thank _you_ for having me."

"It was no problem. Stephanie and Tim talk about you a lot when they're here."

Felicity blushed and turned her head.  Victor grinned and said the final goodbyes.  He walked Felicity home, though he knew two vigilantes were most likely watching out for her.

"Thanks for doing that."  He held up a hand to stop Felicity's protests.  "No, really. None of us really dealt with it. Barbara was basically poached from high school; Bruce threw money around for Tim; and I didn't care when I went to college. I doubt any of us would have been able to help her so much. So thank you."

Felicity smiled softly.  "Any time, Vic. You guys are my friends. I didn't have a whole lot before moving here. I'd probably do anything for you all."

~~

When home, Felicity went straight to her apartment.  Ace was waiting for her at the door.  After the requisite petting, she went to look up the news.  The brunette had found a deep fascination with the vigilantes of Gotham after they had saved so many at the party.  She hadn't told any of her friends, not sure how they felt about the crime fighters.

"So, only the Bird and Bat were sighted tonight," she mumbled.  "Oh! They were seen near Steph's. I wonder why. That area doesn't have as much crime."

Felicity continued to read the newest updates, thinking about the oddity that was Gotham's vigilantes.  She knew there were supposed to be four.  However, there were very few times all four were seen out in one night.  And the pairings were fluid, changing all the time.  The mystery ate at her curiosity.  Sighing, Felicity closed her laptop, deciding to think about it all another time.  She was too tired to be coherent tonight.

"Come on, Ace. Let's go to bed," she called as she went into her bedroom.

The large German Shepherd/Great Dane mix peered out onto the balcony before huffing at man watching from the shadows.  Ace had accepted that he wasn't the only one protecting the kind one.  In fact, Ace felt better knowing she was safe outside the den.  Though he did wonder why the other protectors never came in when she was up.  Humans were strange creatures.


	22. Por que no los dos

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For anyone who wants some Team Arrow, I just wrote and posted a drabble of Felicity in the future of Decisions. It's in the series.
> 
> Cheesy chapter titles are cheesy. This one however comes from one of my best friends. When I started writing out the plot for Decisions, she kept saying (to every thing I asked her help with) "Por que no los dos?" She got it from that still taco shell commercial where the little girl says "why not both?". And said it in response to almost everything. So I decided that chapter 22 would be titled in honor of her.
> 
> I'm sure you'll see why.

Felicity was curled up in a warm blanket on her couch, laptop sitting on her knees and Ace covering her icy feet.  It was a rare Saturday night where she didn't have any plans with her friends.  While she loved spending time with them, she set aside this day to deal with a lot of things on her mind.  Including her friends' weird behavior and Gotham's vigilantes.  To help her think through it all, she was typing her thoughts out.  The brunette hoped that being able to read her thoughts aloud might help with figuring out the mysteries around her.

First she wrote out everything she knew about the crime fighters, including sightings.  Then, because her brain went on a tangent, she switched to different times where her friends acted strange.  Then another tangent about Ace's behavior and the move.  After that, her mind started to wonder about her mom.

She loved her mom, but there was only so much she could take.  Donna Smoak was currently hounding her daughter to visit Las Vegas for the coming Christmas holidays, though it was only the beginning of October.  Felicity did miss her mom, but she had hoped to spent the holiday with her Gotham family, as she began to think of her friends.  A stray thought about Thanksgiving popped into her head, making Felicity reach for her cell phone.

"Hey mom, I know you're working," she stated, knowing to leave a voicemail.  "I just wanted to ask if we could do Thanksgiving instead of December. Just call me back when you can. Love you."

"Well, Ace, how 'bout some food?"  The large dog looked at her before sliding off the couch with a stretch.  Felicity laughed.  "I'll take that as a yes."

After making herself a sandwich, and filling Ace's bowl, she moved back to the living room.  She ate her sandwich, watched a bit of tv.  Then she picked up her laptop.  Instead of continuing her thoughts, she reread what she wrote.  The result, Felicity grabbed her calendar and began to match dates and sightings.

Curiosity killed the cat.

~~

The young woman proceeded to spend the next week keeping silent track of her friends.  She wasn't sure if she wanted to be right about her findings.  But eventually, she asked Victor to meet her for coffee.  It was something they did on occasion.  Usually they ended up talking about Tim and Stephanie.  This time, she was going to change topics completely.

Wednesday afternoon, they took a seat at their usual table.  They order their usual drinks.  Felicity started to work up her nerve to ask.  Victor beat her to it.

"Alright, we're here," he started.  "What's got your panties in such a twist?"

She exhaled slowly before answering.  "Bruce is The Bat, isn't he?"

The reporter raised an eyebrow at her.  Then he grinned.  "Yup."

Felicity felt a weight lift off of her.  "You're Question."  He nodded.  "Tim's the Bird. Stephanie and Barbara are involved too."

"Right-o."

"Which one goes out?" she asked.

"Used to be Barbara. Then the operation got so big we needed to have someone coordinate. Stephanie took over," he told her.

"Why are you just giving me all this information?" Felicity asked after a few minutes of silence.

"Sweet Thing, we knew you were gonna figure us out," Victor grinned.  "Question was, when. Or who would break first. Tim was hoping Bruce would tell you himself. Babs, Princess, and I were pretty sure you would figure it out on your own."  The older man looked at his companion carefully.  "What are you going to do now?"

"Do?" Felicity looked up from her coffee.  "Like what? Tell the world?"

"That, or let the others know you know and join our little Bat Family," Victor shrugged.

Felicity coughed.  "Bat Family?"

Victor just grinned.  "It did start with a bat."

The brunette's grin turned vicious.  "How many bat jokes do you think we could get away with before they figure out I know?"

Victor burst into laughter.  "In October? With Halloween coming up? Quite a few probably."

"Should we find out?"

~~

The next time Felicity saw Bruce, she went to him with a very important question.

"What can I help you with, Felicity?"

"Well," she bit her lip to keep from grinning, "since Halloween is coming up, I was wondering if we could decorate our offices. I was going to a Lucius, but I saw you first so..."

"What kind of decorations?" he asked.  "Nothing gory, I hope."

"No, I just thought it would be kinda funny to hang a few bats from the ceiling," she smiled.  "You know, because of that Bat vigilante?"

Bruce froze.  "Uh, I don't see why not."

"Great! Thanks, Bruce!"  She let her grin appear as she stretched up to kiss her friend and boss's cheek.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See! Por que no los dos!
> 
> Yeah I'm a nerd. And I'm still riding that writing high XD
> 
> And before anyone says anything about the whole "Christmas holidays" thing, I know Felicity is Jewish. I know. But most corporate businesses give time off for Christmas not Hanukkah. I have never actually heard of someone getting time off for Hanukkah. Granted I don't know a whole lot about Jewish customs, so if I'm wrong, tell me. Just please don't get on me for saying Christmas.


	23. This is Halloween

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The beginning of this is basically just a few of the jokes and puns Felicity and Victor did. Like really, just them goofing off with bat and bird puns and shit. Yes I even did bird puns. Also, there are probably things you won't get as they come from scientific names or something obscure like that.

"Are you bat-shit crazy, Victor?"

"I'm guano get you for that one."

~

"Hey Barb?"

"Yeah, Killer?"

"Do I really have to go this party. Everyone will think I'm batty for going. It's not exactly my scene."

"Hun, who cares what the socialites think. We can even dress up if you want."

~

"Hey Tim!"

"Hey 'Lis. What's up?"

"I was wondering if you've ever sung Stephanie a song."

"Uh, why?"

"Well you guys go to that poetry night, right? Have you ever thought of writing one?"

"Poems aren't songs, 'Lis."

"Poems are songs that haven't been put to music yet, you uncultured Turdus."

~

"Hey, Steph."

"What's up?"

"Do you think I could pull off Elizabeth Bathory?"

"Who?"

"She was a Countess in Hungary."

"Oh. We might be able to find a dress for that. Oh! We could get one custom made!"

~~

Felicity and Victor were careful to keep their little hints spaced throughout the days.  They didn't want the others to figure them out too quickly.  And the Wayne Halloween party was a perfect reason to tease their friends.

Somehow, Victor and Tim got roped into a group costume with Felicity and Stephanie.  Stephanie had done some research into Elizabeth Bathory and helped Felicity create a female vampire costume.  The costume making was a fun experience for both women.  With the leftover fabric, they had put together a similar costume for Stephanie.  They then hounded the two males into dressing up with them.  Though the men were able to dress up as vampire hunters instead.

Felicity's dress was made from black fabric with dark purple accents.  Instead of going for the more often used short dresses, it was more akin to a Victorian era dress, with necklines that were low enough to show the shoulder and tops of breasts.  Black fabric clung to Felicity's torso and arms before flaring out in the large skirt.  Dark purple lace peaked out from the skirt bottom and sleeve edges.  The neckline folded over the dress, allowing the girls to have a lighter purple fabric ruffle around it.  The same purple fabric helped to slim her figure by highlighting the sides of her dress.  Brown hair was braided into an up-do, with only a few free curls highlighting her long neck.  Her make-up consisted of a smoky eye and blood red lipstick.

Stephanie's dress was of the same design.  The top portion was composed of the last of the black fabric.  There had only been enough for half-sleeves so the girls had added a cobalt blue to the them, making the sleeves flare out at the elbows.  The cobalt fabric then appeared on the skirt.  A darker blue lace was stitched into the the neckline and skirt hem.  Stephanie's hair was curled into ringlets then pinned to fall on the left side of her head.  A blue feathered hair piece helped offset the riot of curls.  The blonde's make-up was more extravagant.  The lid of her eyes were painted a pitch black which faded into a cobalt blue reaching her eyebrows.  A light pink blush gave her a flushed look which complemented the small blood drop in the corner of her unpainted lips.

In response to their older style dresses, the men dressed themselves in early Victorian era garb.  Victor wore an open leather frock coat over a white shirt and crimson vest.  A black ascot puffed around his neck.  His boots went to the end of his black breeches.  A large rimmed top hat sat crooked on his head, hiding most of his hair.  One could just barely catch sight of the gun holster resting on his leg.  Tim decided to forgo the coat.  Instead, he simply wore a white shirt and dark brown vest.  Tan trousers reached his ankles, allowing just a hint of black leather boots.  His guns were on full display, as was a flask with a cross that hung from his belt.  The shoulder length hair Tim had been growing was pulled back in a small tail, giving him a roguish look.

When Barbara spotted the four entering the room Bruce had set aside for them to all meet in, the redhead glared at her friends.  "Well, thanks for the memo. Now I feel outclassed."

Recognizing her teasing, Stephanie piped up.  "You can be our victim!"

"Excuse you," the redhead snapped, motioning to the long white fabric that hid as much as it showed.  A few bands of golden material held the fabric from sliding off or showing more than it should.  "I am a goddess. My blood would be too potent for the likes of you."

"I doubt an earthbound goddess would cause anything but heartburn," Felicity got into the teasing.

"So, what are they?" Barbara eventually asked after their male counterparts.

"Vampire hunters," Tim piped up from across the room.

"They think they can handle two mistresses of the night," Stephanie stated with a light laugh.

"Where's Bruce?" Victor asked.  "And Dick? I thought he was visiting for this."

Barbara waved at him.  "They're doing their weird bonding thing in the study."

"Bonding thing?" Felicity asked.  She was excited to meet the ever elusive Dick, who Bruce had helped finish high school and go to college.  Victor had informed her that Dick had been the original Bird of Gotham.  He now apparently did his vigilantism in Blüdhaven.

"They have this weird thing they do where they stand around in silence," Tim explained.  "I've never understood it, but they do it every time they see each other after a long stretch."

"Just because you can't understand the power of silence," a new voice entered the conversation, "doesn't mean you get to call our habits weird."

Felicity turned to see Bruce and another male standing in the doorway.  Both men were in tuxedos, the only real color their blue and green eyes, respectively.  Seeing as only one new person would be entering the room, Felicity gathered the new male was Richard Grayson.

"Well now I really feel outclassed," Barbara muttered, turning her back to her fancy dressed friends.

Dick chuckled.  "Hi, you must be Felicity. I'm Dick."  The brunette shook is hand with a smile.  "If you'll excuse me, I'm going to attempt to calm an angry goddess."

"Good luck," Felicity laughed.  She then turned to Bruce, her closed fists sitting on her hips.  "And just _what_ are you supposed to be?"  The businessman raised his eyebrow in response.  "We've got a goddess, vampire hunters, and mistresses of the night. What is your costume? And don't say something like the host or businessman or something like that. Those are not costumes."

Bruce grinned, showing off slightly elongated canines.  "Why, milady, I thought you recognized your husband."

"No," Felicity stated, turning her stern look into a glare.  "You can't hijack our costumes. It doesn't work like that."

"And why not?"

"Because."

"You've let Tim and Victor."

"We _asked_ them to join in. And they're the counterparts. The hunters to the vampires."

"And why can't I be involved?"

"Well one, we're two seductresses so a male would ruin our fun. And two, you said husband. I do not accept your hand in marriage."

Bruce wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her towards him.  "If I know my history right, you wouldn't have had a choice in the matter."

~~

After the party wound down, some where near two in the morning, Dick had a chance to talk to Barbara without the others listening in.  The two had been good friends for years, and prior to his move to Blüdhaven, Barbara had thought they would end up being more.

"So why did you drag me into this darkened hall?" the redhead asked.

"What?" Dick asked back.  "Can't I just take a moment to enjoy my goddess's beauty?"

"Grayson."

"Alright, alright," his hands raised in surrender.  "I just wanted to ask how long Felicity's been involved."

"Involved with what?"  Dick nodded towards the door behind him that led to the study.  "No. No. She doesn't know."

"You sure about that?"  Barbara bit her lip as she thought.  "There were an awful amount of bat and vampire jokes coming from her."

"It's Halloween! She's dressed as a vampire!"

"Really? So there's no way she knows?"

"I didn't say that," Barbara snapped.  "You know how bad Bruce is at lying. But I doubt she's made the leap to vigilante."

The short haired male shook his head at her.  "Barb, take it from someone on the outside. She knows."

A moment of thought.  "You're sure?"

Dick nodded.  "And if I had to guess, I'd say Vic knows she knows."

"Why hasn't she said anything?"

Before she could start to panic, Dick grabbed her arms.  "Can you really blame her for messing with Bruce? I mean, you and I did almost the same thing when we figured him out."

A startled laugh broke from the redhead's lips.  "Okay, you got me there. And with it being October. Yeah, I can see what you mean."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have a Nightwing!!
> 
> Okay first two jokes are obvious.  
> The third one: Turdus is the genus of the American Robin. Which is a song bird.  
> The fourth: Elizabeth Bathory is considered the most prolific female murderer known to history. She's accredited with over 650 murders and was believed to bathe in the blood of her female victims to stay young and beautiful. There are quite a few female vampires based on her.  
> I know. I'm a nerd. It's a fact of life.
> 
> I spent _so_ much time on the costumes. I had wanted to do the whole group in steampunk, but I really don't know enough to do the style justice. Then muse went Bathory = vampire! Do that! So that happened.


	24. I Know What You Did Last Summer

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay since my muse is hopping between DS and my two new stories (Anime fanfics if anyone's interested) I'm going to set up a monthly update schedule. Due to chapter 23 going off-script I had to rework a lot of my plotline (more like scrap most of it and start over, but whatever), which I did not realize until going to start this chapter. That took most of the month of March actually. So starting with this chapter, the first week of the month will be my update time.
> 
> So congrats guys! You get semi-regular updates!!!

It took until the end of the first week of November for Barbara to really consider what Dick told her at the party.  When she did, the redhead tried to look at the situation with an open mind.  It was harder than she thought it would be.  Every time she looked at something Felicity did, she just couldn't wrap her head around the fact she could have figured out their secret so soon.  Eventually she decided to ask Dick for help.

" _Hey, Red. How's it going?_ " Dick answered the phone.

"It's alright. Look, I've been thinking about what you said and... I can't see it. I'm not sure if it's 'cause I don't want to or _what_ but I can't see her knowing," Barbara babbled.  Damn it _was_ catching.

Dick's laughter grabbed her attention.  " _Red, either she knows or she and Vic decided to do a bunch of bat jokes. Tim told me she called him a Turdus._ "

"A what?"

Dick laughed again.  " _And here I thought you knew science. Turdus is basically another way of saying song bird. Bird? See where I'm going?_ "

"Yeah I see it. Why Vic though? Why not ask me?"

" _Babs_ ," Dick got serious, " _there could be a number of reasons. Vic may have been the one nearest her when she figured it out, she might have figured Vic wouldn't freak out if she told him, maybe there's a time they have set up to meet to talk or something. Any number of things. You and I both know how hard it is to bring_ that _topic up. It took us cracking jokes for months for Bruce to figure us out. Maybe she was scared you'd push her away._ "

Barbara took a deep breath as she thought about what her friend said.  A lot of it made sense.  She knew Felicity and Victor got together at a cafe some days.  And Felicity had admitted that Barbara was her first friend in Gotham, which could easily lead to panic.  She may not have known for sure and Vic would be the best to bounce ideas off of.  Barbara did it a lot herself for tech ideas, though he really had no idea what she was talking about.

"Yeah, you're right. So I either talk to her or Vic."

" _Or both. Talk to Vic first. If that's a positive go on to Felicity._ "

"Thanks, Richard. I don't know what I'd do without you."

" _I hope we never find out. See ya, Red._ "

Taking another breath, Barbara hung up and opened her phone to start a text.

Barb: _She knows doesn't she_

Vic: _You're little goddess?_

Barb: _Victor_

Vic: _Yeah. Early Oct._

Barb: _Guess I'm in on the joke._

Vic: _Her party not mine_

Barb: _Thks Vic_

Vic: _Anytime_

~~

It took until a few days before Felicity's flight to Las Vegas before Barbara had time to talk to her friend.  Victor helped out by letting her know he'd be the one to check on them.  Helped to keep their little secret.  So, the Friday before the brunette's flight, Barbara came over with a bottle of red.  Which she may or may not have swiped from the Wayne wine cellar.  If so, Alfred was her alibi.

"Hey!" Felicity grinned at her friend.

"Hey, I brought the blood of our enemies," the redhead teased.

Felicity laughed and let her friend in the apartment.  Corks were popped.  Glasses poured.  Movie started.  Barbara decided to make her move.  Figuratively.

"So, when were you going to tell me?"

"Huh?" the younger girl paused in scratching Ace's chin.  "What do you mean?"

Barbara raised her eyebrow at her friend.  "Really? I know you know."

Felicity's eyes flicked towards the balcony.  That was a telling sign if she saw one.  Victor must have told her he was going to check up on her.

"He confirmed it," Barbara continued.  "Dick knows too. Actually he figured it out before me."

"Um, surprise?"

Barbara burst into laughter.  Oh her poor friend.  She looked so scared.

"'Lis, I'm not mad. I figured you find out eventually. Though I'll admit to hoping it'd take longer. It's cool," the redhead smiled at her friend.  "So cool in fact, that I've got a commlink for you."

"Really?" Felicity perked up.

"Mhmm. I figured we'd get you used to it. It's got a permanent mute right now. We can change that when everyone knows you know."  Pursing her lips, Barbara wondered about how the others would take it.  "I should probably warn you, Bruce will not be happy. He'll probably yell. A lot."

"Oh. Maybe we shouldn't then," Felicity bit her lip.

The blue eyed redhead just shook her head.  "Nah, he was bad about it when Dick and I figured it out too. And we let him work out that we knew on his own. I don't think you wanna be hidden for several months, do you?"

Brown hair flew as her head shook in the negative.  "I figured I'd make sure everyone knew by the Christmas party. Just in case."

Barbara took a sip as she thought.  "That works for me. That way everyone else has some time to process. So, movie?"

Felicity laughed and pressed play.  The rest of the night was full of wine, romantic movies, and tech talk.  A few ideas for improvements on the cave were passed around.  Which was really great because the redhead was tired of being the sole tech for the group.  Barbara couldn't wait until Stephanie could be brought in.  The redhead had hoped to be able to set up an "in the know" Girl's Night sometime after the New Year.  Maybe they could take over the cave.  It'd be funny to see Bruce's reaction to a bunch of blankets and pillows set up in front of the screens.  Even funnier since Felicity wore one of Bruce's tee she had swiped from the Mansion.

~~

Once she was home, the excited brunette changed out of her work clothes, poured a glass of wine, and turned her communicator on.  Felicity was very interested in what her friends did.  The few ideas she and Barbara had swapped the previous Friday were bouncing around her brain, each wanted her sole focus.  While the three of them were waiting to tell the rest of the "Bat Family" as Victor called the group, Barbara had asked if she could try to work on one of their ideas.  Hopefully it would help integrate Felicity into the Family.  At least that was Barbara's hope.

" _Alright, we've got the usual patrol set for one pair_ ," Barbara's stern voice pulled the brunette out of her musings.  " _There's also a possibility that we could have another break in at the South Hills area. How do you wanna split_?"

" _What was the profile on the burglar?_ " Bruce asked, his voice husky sounding.

Victor was next to speak.  " _They weren't sure gender. Should be in late-twenties to early-thirties._ "

" _Uncle James said they only grabbed the visible items,_ " Barbara seemed to recite.  " _Late at night. All occupants asleep and have no idea they've been robbed until morning. No deaths. There was a head injury to one homeowner who had gotten up for a bite to eat._ "

" _Question, take BG to South Hills. Keep an eye out. Robin and I will start on the north end of the city. Work our way to you_ ," Bruce commanded.

Felicity took a moment to refill her glass and turn on the news. The curls in her hair would hide the comm and hopefully the television will have something of interest. As she couldn't speak through the comm. link, she would settle for knowing where and how her friends were.  Barbara planned on giving her more information about their activities when she got back from visiting her mom.  In the mean time, she'd get used to having the communicator on while going about her routine.

" _So what're you thinking about getting 'Lis, Oracle?_ " Tim's voice cut in.

Felicity let the laughter slip out.  This was going to be an interesting conversation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thought about posting a joke chapter due to the date. But the date in 'verse is _way_ off so I didn't .
> 
> Those dates being: November 7th, November 20th, November 22nd. All of 2009.
> 
> Ta da!


	25. Making Plans

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The saga continues. Have some sibling fluff!

Stephanie was sick and tired.  She was sick and tired of Vic and Barb.  Specifically she was sick and tired of the little glances and comments the two made that all seemed to have a secret meaning.  In honesty, she was surprised Bruce hadn't told them to shut it yet.  Then she looked at it from the outside.  Then she asked Tim if he saw what she did.  Finally she just went to Victor to get her answers.

"I have a question and I want an honest answer," she told him on afternoon.

"Oh?"

"Felicity. Does she know?"

Straight to the point.  Stephanie was _not_ a fan of beating around the bush.  She'd rather just cut the bullshit and get the answers she needed.  Subtly was not her strong suit.  Her outfit was purple after all.

Victor grinned at her.  Stephanie let her head fall forward.  She knew what that look meant.  She had to give him her reasons for her question.  Glaring at her brother figure, she gathered her thoughts.

"Barbara's been really cagey with what she's getting 'Lis for Christmas Hols. A few weeks ago she'd have been all over telling us and getting advice for her gift. She totally derails the conversation any time it comes up. _And_ one of the extra communicators is missing," Stephanie paused for a breath.  "You two have spent the past, I can't even tell how long, making remarks and sharing looks that just _scream_ secret. The only thing I can think of is Felicity. So, my question."

Victor was still grinning at her.  He was such an-

"Yes."

"What?"

He laughed at her.  "Felicity knows. Has since before Halloween."

Stephanie took in the information.  Then she let her head fall again.  "All the bat jokes and the vampire costumes. We walked right into that."

Steph glared as Victor laughed again.

"I want in," she told him.  "Tim too."

Vic smiled, a real smile this time.  "Guess we're just waiting for Bruce to get a clue."

"You know, for the greatest detective, he's kinda oblivious."

~~

Meanwhile, Bruce let them have their fun.  He wasn't one-hundred percent certain on what they were hiding, but the other members of the team were having fun so he let it be.  He had to admit, he didn't notice Victor's jokes until after Barbara had joined in.  Victor was always joking around, making references only he got.  Then Stephanie got involved, which of course added Tim to their inside joke.  The CEO thought about asking Alfred, but it had been a long time since a mystery didn't involve crime or the answer come easily.

Perhaps they were planning something for Christmas.  That would explain Barbara's avoidance of the subject.  And the fact he was being left out could explain why they weren't talking about gifts at all anymore.  There were plenty of possibilities.  The blue eyed man shook his head lightly before standing up.  The answer would show itself eventually.  Let them have their fun.  It was good for them to have some light in their dark lives.

Speaking of light, Bruce smiled softly as he went over to one of his bookcases.  Two new photos joined his collection.  One had the entire group, from Richard to Stephanie to Felicity, crowded together before the Halloween party.  The girls were in the front, showing off their costumes.  It was a nice picture of them.  Hopefully more like it would follow.  The second image was one Alfred had given him, which he had hidden on a low shelf behind several other frames.  Bruce wasn't sure when his oldest friend took it, though it was obviously early morning.  In the image, the large group of friends were gather in pajamas in the main living area.  They were spread out over the couches and even the floor in the case of Tim and Stephanie.  Barbara and Richard were together on the loveseat, though he couldn't recall what they were discussing at the time.  The couch was left to Bruce, Victor, and Felicity.  The men on the ends of the couch with Felicity draped across the entire length, head on Victor's thigh and feet in Bruce's lap.

Putting the photo back in its place, he made his way out of his office.  He had a meeting with Fox about the IT department.  Then he planned on grabbing his two favorite programmers and taking them for lunch.  Tim had already let him know the youth was planning lunch with his girlfriend.  Victor was editing a mass of articles for the paper.

"I'm headed down to Fox then to lunch Susan," Bruce announced.  "I'll have my phone if you need me."

Susan nodded.  "Of course, Mr. Wayne."

~~

"Here's your change," the vendor stated as he handed over the collection of coins.

"Thanks," Felicity grinned.

She and Tim were spending time together.  Which of course led them to get ice cream.  She put her change back in her wallet before taking her mint chip cone from her little brother figure.

"So, how long you gonna keep Bruce in the dark?" Tim asked when they started on a trail through the park.

The brunette hummed a little.  "Christmas. If he doesn't figure it out himself."

"That might be better," the black haired teen agreed.  "He doesn't do too well with surprises. At least from what Dick's told me."

"What do you mean?"

"Dick and Barb pretty much blindsided Bruce with their involvement. I got brought in by Dick and Bruce. Steph was already doing her own thing by the time we had met her and Vic," Tim explained, though he made sure to be vague.

"I don't know how many more hints we can drop," the tech sighed.  "I mean, you and Steph had a whole conversation about when I find out two nights ago. He didn't even think I could have figured it out."

"Nah, Bruce just wants to keep you safe. You're the newest and you don't really know how to fight. Don't lie," Tim interrupted her before she could finish opening her mouth.  "Barb and Steph plan on fixing that but there's not a whole lotta places you could practice. The Manor's the best spot."

"I know," she groused.  "But even Alfred knows I know."

Tim scoffed.  "Alfred knows all."

"Mm, that's true."

"It'll knock Bruce off his high horse when he figures it out. Won't do much else. He'll be mad for a bit because we didn't tell him, but it'll pass."

"Then maybe I should wait til after Christmas," Felicity wondered aloud.

"Uh, no. The longer you wait the more pissed he'll be. At least this way you can say you were waiting for the holidays to be over. Just tell him after we do the group presents. By New Year's he should be fine."

"If you say so."

"I _do_ say so. So let's go have some fun," Tim grabbed Felicity's free hand and pulled her along.  She just laughed as she ran to keep up.


End file.
